


Between Rage and Serenity

by teeandrainbows



Series: Mutants verse [1]
Category: Julie and The Phantoms (TV)
Genre: Action & Romance, Additional Warnings In Author's Note, Alternate Universe - Dystopia, Alternate Universe - Mutants, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Caleb Covington Being a Bastard, Canon-Typical Violence, Character Death, Emotional Manipulation, Eventual Happy Ending, Everyone Is Alive, Falling In Love, Grief/Mourning, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Minor Boggie, Minor Julie Molina/Luke Patterson, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Slow Burn, Strangers to Lovers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-17
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-12 10:08:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 21,578
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29508096
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/teeandrainbows/pseuds/teeandrainbows
Summary: For ten years, Alex's head has been filled with the thoughts and feelings of others, with no way to control it.  As the world became progressively more anti-mutant, he hid his abilities, hiding with his friends in plain sight.A chance meeting with a stranger should have been the only momentous event that day, but when tragedy strikes, he finds his entire worldview shifting and the stranger becomes a part of his life in ways he couldn't have imagined.Now, Alex needs to decide if he wants to take a stand against the government, or continue to hide.  And maybe, just maybe, his new companion can help him find the balance between rage and serenity to master his powers.A Willex Mutants AU
Relationships: Alex Mercer & Luke Patterson & Reggie Peters (Julie and The Phantoms), Alex Mercer/Willie (Julie and The Phantoms)
Series: Mutants verse [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2181303
Comments: 50
Kudos: 78





	1. You’re Late

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, and welcome to this Willex Mutants AU! This is NOT based on the _X Men_ universe, despite the title. It's mostly an original mutant dystopia, though I drew inspiration for the worldbuilding from the 2019 film _Code 8_ starring Robbie and Stephen Amell! There is no need to be familiar with _X Men_ , _Code 8_ , or any other mutant series to understand this fic.
> 
> When it comes to warnings, this fic is rated T for canon-typical violence and coarse language. Additionally, this story is going to deal with grief and mourning as a major topic after the first chapter.
> 
> The title of this fic comes from a quote by Charles Xavier in _X Men First Class_!
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

He made his way down the street, ignoring everyone around him.

At least, he was trying to.

For as long as Alex could remember, mutants like him had been at the forefront of the media’s eye. In his youth, they were lauded. Governments prided themselves on having mutants working in every major department. Businesses revelled in the ability to commodify being born with extraordinary powers. Those who had no powers would argue that it wasn’t fair, that mutants were taking all the jobs, even the ones that didn’t require powers, but the government maintained its position. Mutants truly were the backbone of society, and everyone knew it. Alex had always wanted to have some kind of power, just like his older brother, a telepath.

Everything changed when advances in technology made mutant abilities redundant and the government changed its tune. Mutants were no longer necessary, and in fact, they were deemed dangerous. He remembered watching the protests on the news as mutants marched, demanding their jobs back. He remembered when a rogue mutant attacked and killed a government official. He remembered seeing the bomb detonate at the Capitol during a protest. He remembered the screams.

He remembered  _ feeling _ the pain.

His own mutant ability had manifested the day of the bomb. Alex had been at school, watching the news with wide-open eyes as the mutants protested. When the bomb detonated and his teacher quickly turned off the tv, Alex felt a wave of dread wash over him, and in that moment, he could hear every thought of every classmate around him, feel every emotion that was going through them, and not only in the class. All around the school, all around the city, Alex could feel the pain, feel the fear, feel the anguish. He had screamed, clutching at his head, until his teacher all but dragged down the hall to the nurse’s office, passing him off to the baffled school nurse. He had sat in the corner, head between his legs, until his parents came to collect him, still shell-shocked.

His brother had been at the protest.

Alex had been only ten years old.

He had always been a bit anxious, but after that, he couldn’t remember a time when he wasn’t. His parents had never recovered after the pain of losing their elder son, and the revelation that Alex was also a mutant was too much. By the age of fifteen, he had run away from home and was living on the streets, trying to hide the powers he had never really grown to understand.

He knew he could hear the thoughts of those around him, and that he could feel their emotions. Beyond that, Alex had no idea how to control them, or even how to shut it off. He was constantly overcome by the sheer amount of pain in the world, every single time he left the small abandoned building he lived in, and it never stopped being too much.

Now at twenty, Alex had his coping methods, necessary in the crapsack world he lived in.

He made his way down the street, his head down, his hood up, his earbuds in. Alex had learned early on that listening to music helped to drown out the thoughts, at least. The music didn’t help the way the fear and anger and sadness around him gripped at his heart, but at least he couldn’t hear why people were feeling that way. It was raining, which only made it worse. The rain only added to the misery he could sense around him, and he wanted nothing more than to get back to the warehouse. As he walked, he noted where the Guardians were stationed and made sure to give them a wide berth. Rumour had it Guardians could identify mutants if they got too close, and woe on any mutant who got caught by one of the androids and wasn’t registered with the government in accordance with the Mutant Census Law that had been passed two years ago.

Of course, Alex wasn’t registered. Being registered only meant the government could track him and hunt him down if they deemed him to be too much of a threat.

He ducked down an alley, then pulled himself up onto the fire escape. The structure supporting him shifted, and Alex cringed. It was old, and probably wouldn’t last much longer. Quickly, he tugged open the window next to him and crawled through backwards, holding onto the window sill for a moment before dropping down to the floor and tugging out his earbuds.

“You’re late,” he heard behind him.

Alex brushed off his hands on an old, grimy towel hanging next to him before turning. “Had to take a couple of detours,” he said, shrugging. “Lots of Guardians out today.”

His friend, Luke, nodded, rolling his eyes. “Damn things are everywhere,” he grumbled, falling backwards on the lumpy sofa behind him.

“At least they haven’t found us yet,” Reggie said as he stepped out of the shadows, playing with a small lick of flames between his hands. “We’ve got that going for us.”

“Yeah,” Bobby added, appearing with a loud CRACK beside him and handing him a piece of bread which Alex accepted with a grateful nod. “Could be worse.”

“I’m just so sick of hiding,” Luke muttered, leaning back and stretching his arms over the back of the sofa.

Alex could sense the anger rolling off his friend in waves, the feeling a stormy mess inside his mind. On the edges of the storm, Reggie’s dogged optimism kept sending rosy tendrils out to meet him, intertwined with the orange determination Bobby was feeling.

He let out a breath. “Save the anger for later,” Alex said, tapping the side of his head. Instantly, the emotions were muted and he nodded appreciatively. “Thanks.”

~No problem-o,~ he heard, although no one spoke out loud. Alex turned, arching an eyebrow at Reggie.

“Really?”

~Luke’s just in a mood,~ Reggie added, with a tilt of his head in the direction of the sofa.

“Are you talking about me?” Luke asked, pushing himself up off the couch. “Alex, is he talking about me?”

Alex held up his hands. “Empath clause.”

Luke clammed up, sinking back down and taking a mug Bobby handed to him.

“The restaurant had a few meals sent back today,” Bobby said after a moment, passing around to-go boxes to each of them. “I swiped them before they were dumped in the trash.”

Reggie opened his quickly, staring down into the box. “Dude, is that spaghetti and meatballs?” he asked, his eyes wide with glee.

“Yeah,” Bobby answered, grinning. “And I got some salad for me, and--”

“A hamburger!” Luke shouted, all trace of his former moodiness gone as he pulled out the burger and took a large bite.

Alex arched an eyebrow, looking into his own box at the chicken nuggets and fries. “Kid’s meal?”

“I think the kid threw a temper tantrum. Wanted a hot dog instead,” Bobby said, shrugging.

Alex laughed. “Thanks, man.”

They ate their respective meals in relative silence, broken only by Reggie’s little sounds of glee as he devoured his meatballs. Here, surrounded by walls and in the company of three people who knew how to keep their feelings and thoughts in check around him, Alex didn’t feel like he had to have his earbuds in. Didn’t feel like he was overwhelmed by the emotions around him.

He felt safe.

When their meal was finished, they moved to the corner and sat in a circle together. Alex sat opposite Bobby, holding his hands to either side as Reggie on his left and Luke on his right placed their hands on top of his.

“Ready?” Alex asked, closing his eyes.

“Ready,” came the chorus of replies. Like a floodgate, his three friends opened their minds and their thoughts and feelings came rushing towards Alex as he fought to sort through them, to discern what they were individually feeling about what had happened during the day. It was a ritual they completed every evening, where Alex would identify who was feeling each emotion as a sort of training exercise.

He narrowed in on the dark cloud of anger and traced it to his right. It wasn’t too hard, since he had known Luke was angry already. “Luke’s pissed,” he said, cracking his eyes open.

“No,” Luke said, meeting Alex’s gaze. “I’m not. I was, but I’m not. Try again.”

Alex frowned, closing his eyes and feeling the anger once more. There was an orange tint to the cloud, and he breathed in deeply, holding it for a moment before letting it out. “Bobby.” He opened his eyes, staring across the circle.

Bobby heaved a heavy sigh. “Yup.”

“What happened?” Reggie asked, peering sideways at him. Luke was also watching Bobby curiously.

“I nearly got fired today,” their friend said, rolling his eyes. “Made a mistake. Thought no one was in the kitchen and teleported into the freezer. Had to pass it off, say the busboy must’ve been seeing things.” He huffed. “My manager had a cow. Went on about how I’d better not be a goddamned mutant and threaten his stupid business.”

“Bobby…” Luke breathed, his hand dropping to their friend’s knee.

He shook it off, rising to his feet. “As if anything would happen to him. If he found out I was really a mutant, he’d ship me off to the Guardians in a heartbeat himself, and he’d get the reward for turning in an unregistered one. If I didn’t need the money, I would have left that stupid restaurant months ago,” Bobby continued, scoffing. “Instead I’m watching my back, all the time, and I can’t trust anyone there!”

“I’ll try to get a job,” Reggie said quickly, glancing up at Bobby. “That way, you can take a break and chill for a bit.”

Alex could sense the hesitation in Bobby’s thoughts and stood up, holding his hands out. “We’re here for you. We have enough food and money saved for a couple of weeks. That job’s been stressing you out for weeks.”

Bobby sighed, hanging his head. “Alright,” he said, sitting down again, followed by Alex. “I’m sure the idiot will be happy to see me go.”

“Screw him,” Luke commented. “We’ll be happy to see you around more.”

A small chuckle escaped Bobby’s lips, and the tension in the room faded away, much to Alex’s content.

“Alright, let’s go again,” he said, reaching for Reggie and Luke’s hands again. Once more, he closed his eyes and sifted through the flood of emotions surging towards him. There was a grey ribbon and he latched onto it, following it carefully. He opened his eyes. “Luke, you’re upset.”

There was a long pause. After a moment, Luke groaned, pulling his hands back and crossing his arms in front of him. “I went to my parents’ house today.”

“Luke, you know--” Alex started.

“I know I shouldn’t,” Luke interrupted, staring down at his lap. “I just needed to see them. It’s been six years since I ran away, and they still have pictures of me up in their home.”

“You were in the house?” Reggie asked, his eyes wide.

“No,” Luke answered, biting his lip. “I was at the window, though. They weren’t home. I just… I know they sucked, and we argued a lot, but I kind of miss them, y’know?”

Alex let out a heavy breath. “I get that. My parents were never cool with the whole mutant thing, but sometimes I wish I could see them again. Show them that I’m alright, that I’m surviving on my own.”

A low hum of agreement rippled through the group. Alex turned, pulling Luke into a hug. “I get it,” he murmured, feeling Reggie and Bobby join the hug. “We all miss our parents, but at least we have each other for the rest of our lives.”

“Yeah, we’re family,” Reggie chimed in, patting Luke on the back. “No matter what.”

“Through thick and thin,” Bobby added.

“Hell or high water,” Luke mumbled, much to their content. “You guys don’t know how much you all mean to me.”

Bobby swiped the beanie Luke was wearing off his head and Reggie ruffled his hair, and Alex chuckled as Luke pulled away indignantly. He had a grin tugging at the corner of his lips, though, and Alex nudged him with an elbow.

“Likewise. So. Reggie. Your turn. I felt your happiness before.”

Reggie sat back down, leaning back on his hands splayed out behind him. “I saw a puppy earlier! It was pretty cute, too. Sometimes I wish we could bring one in here with us.”

Luke arched an eyebrow. “And deal with the mess? No thanks.” Reggie’s face fell, and Luke quickly added, “but don’t let that stop you from playing with any puppy you see.”

Alex patted Reggie on the shoulder. “One of these days when we get out of this warehouse and have a place to ourselves, out in the country, we’ll get a puppy for you. Promise.”

Luke and Bobby both nodded fervently, and Reggie grinned. “Awesome.”

“What about you?” Bobby asked, fixing his gaze on Alex. “How are you feeling?”

Alex paused, glancing between his three friends. Reggie, absently playing with a lick of fire between his fingertips. Luke, adjusting the beanie on his head. Bobby, watching him intently, running his fingers through his hair.

“Pretty great,” he said, shrugging. “I’ve got the three of you, and that’s all I need.”

Luke grinned, reaching out and tapping his fist against Alex’s chest before rising to his feet and retreating to the sofa. “I’m gonna catch some z’s before I go out this evening,” he said, flopping down lengthwise.

“I’m heading out to see if there’s any place hiring,” Reggie chimed in, grabbing his red flannel shirt from a hook by the window and slipping it on over the black tank he had been wearing. He disappeared through the window, and Alex glanced over at Bobby.

“I’m gonna head up to the roof,” Bobby said, taking a half step backwards and disappearing with a CRACK.

The room was filled with a deafening silence, and Alex could already sense the feelings flooding in from the street outside. He tugged his earbuds out of his pocket, putting them in his ears and turning his music to full volume, settling down on the floor next to the sofa near Luke’s head, leaning back. Luke’s hand found his shoulder and gave it a little pat before his friend rolled over, facing the back of the sofa, and Alex allowed himself to relax.

Or at least try to.

When Luke got up later that evening, Alex followed him to the window.

“It’s a bit loose,” Alex commented, looking out at the fire escape

“I’ll find someone to look at it,” Luke replied, tugging his hood up over his head before climbing out the window and swinging down the fire escape to the hard cement. With a wave, he started down the alley. None of them knew where Luke went at night, but it was an unspoken agreement that no one pushed him to explain. He would tell them when he was ready.

Reggie got home shortly after Luke left, shaking his head. No job, Alex gathered from his thoughts. Oh well. They could keep trying. With Luke gone, Reggie collapsed on the couch and Alex laid on the floor next to him.

In the morning, Alex left, meeting Luke as he arrived home. Thankfully, it had stopped raining, but Alex still put his hood up as he slipped out the other end of the alley and mixed with the crowds of people. His music was playing loudly in his ears, drowning out the thoughts around him, some old rock hit his brother had listened to once upon a time. He bobbed his head to the music as he walked, when suddenly it hit him.

A wave of emotion, a torrent rushing over him, making him double over, stagger backwards. This wasn’t the ordinary everyday feelings of the people on the street. This was deep pain,  _ anguish _ . Someone was hurting, and they were close. Alex managed to put up the walls he had been working on over the years, steadying himself and looking around, looking for the source of the onslaught of emotion. No one seemed to have noticed his momentary lapse, mercifully.

Someone screamed, and he turned that way. There, down a side street, an older woman was screeching incomprehensible words as a Guardian held a boy around Alex’s age at gunpoint. Alex took his earbuds out, watching from a distance.

“Present registration,” the Guardian droned.

“I’m telling you, I’m not one of them!” the boy argued. “Mom, tell it!”

“Please! He’s not, he’s just an ordinary boy, my boy… please, don’t take him!” the woman cried out.

Other people passed by, averting their eyes, pretending not to notice the altercation. Alex couldn’t drag his eyes away. This was what he and his friends were afraid would happen to them one day, as long as they had to stay in the city.

“Failure to present registration will result in immediate arrest,” the Guardian said, its deep robotic voice haunting to Alex’s ears. “Requesting immediate backup.”

Sirens sounded around the corner and two police vans pulled up. Overhead, the wind picked up as a helicopter came into view.

“Do not resist,” the Guardian said, taking a step towards the boy as the police officers rushed forward. “Failure to comply will result in extermination.”

Another police car appeared from behind Alex and an officer stepped out. “Get out of here,” he said to Alex, waving him away. “This is official police business.”

Alex sighed, turning and walking away, trying not to focus on the woman’s pain as the officers dragged the boy away. He had a sinking suspicion the boy would never be seen again.

Maybe it was for the best he had been sent away. He shuddered at the thought of the Guardian picking up on his own mutant abilities. It was his own worst nightmare.

He continued down the street, turning the volume up higher on his music. Now he couldn’t hear anything, not the cars speeding past, not the people chattering as they passed him on the sidewalk. He couldn’t even hear the loud drone of the helicopters above.

Later, Alex would curse himself for not paying better attention to his surroundings. Something large, with decent weight to it collided with him from behind, sending him sprawling forwards to the concrete, his palms scraping a bit against the sidewalk as he used his hands to break his fall.

It took him a moment to figure out what had happened, but when he felt the mass on top of him move and noticed the arms on either side of him, it finally made sense. The other person moved quickly off of him and Alex pushed himself to his feet, turning, ready to tear into whoever it was for not paying attention.

He got as far as turning around and taking out his earbuds.

“Dude, I said ‘look out’!” the other person said before Alex had a chance to speak, picking a skateboard off the ground and looking at it. “Aww, you dinged my board!” The emotion rolling off of him was far from anger, though. It was a bright yellow ray of sunshine invading all of the doom and gloom that Alex had been feeling most of the day, and it made him uncomfortable.

He scoffed incredulously. “ _ You _ ran into  _ me _ !” he retorted, glancing down at his scuffed-up hands. His music was still blaring from the earbuds hanging down the front of his hoodie, and the other guy arched an eyebrow.

“You couldn’t hear me, huh?” the skater boy said, reaching up and unclipping his helmet. As he pulled it off, brown hair came cascading down, and Alex nearly did a double take.

_ Oh no _ , he thought,  _ he’s hot _ .

He didn’t know how long he stood there, staring at the other boy. Thoughts and feelings from all around flooded his mind and Alex couldn’t find the thread that connected to whatever the skateboarder was thinking and feeling. Instead, he took in the boy himself, from head to toe. Long brown hair, a tie-dyed shirt, a cord around his neck upon which hung a key, shorts, and sneakers. Tan skin. Easy smile.

Hot.

Alarm bells went off in Alex’s head as he processed it. After everything he had been through in life, being gay was just one more tick on the chart of things he hadn’t had time to process. All he knew was that he thought about boys the way he was supposed to think about girls, and it was extremely confusing, and he tried not to think about it.

Until now.

“Err… hello? You okay there?” the boy asked, leaning forward. Alex immediately took a step back, shaking his head, trying to clear his thoughts.

“Y-yeah,” he said, swallowing a hard lump in his throat. “I’m just…”

“Oh, man, I didn’t give you a concussion, did I? Did you hit your head?” The other boy fussed over him, reaching out and putting his hands on either side of Alex’s head before he had a chance to realize what he was doing. The moment his fingertips made contact with Alex’s temples, though, it was as if a blanket fell over his mind, blocking out every thought, every feeling. For the first time in his life since that fateful day ten years ago, Alex’s mind was completely silent, completely devoid of any thoughts save for his own.

It was strangely both comforting and disconcerting at the same time.

Alex pulled away, backing into a telephone pole with a small grunt. “I’m fine,” he said, crossing his arms in front of him defensively. The constant white noise was back, and seemingly louder than ever.

The skateboarder was still watching him cautiously, having pulled back at Alex’s reaction. His arms were by his side and he was frowning. “Are you sure?” he asked, glancing around. “You seem kind of jumpy.”

Why did he have to be so nice? It wasn’t helping Alex’s attempts to ignore how hot he was.

“I mean, you did just flatten me to the ground,” he replied, shrugging, trying to pass it off. “But I’m fine. I swear.”

“Right…”

Alex didn’t know what else he could do to convince the other that he was fine, so he sighed. “Look, it happened. I’m not hurt. I’m not mad, or anything.”

“At least let me make it up to you,” the other boy said, hugging the skateboard in front of him. “I could, uh…” he looked around the busy street, “oh! I could buy you a street dog? For your trouble?”

Through the endless chatter, Alex finally detected the thread leading back to the skateboarder, finding a glimmer of sincerity coupled with grey spots of fear.

Why fear?

“A street dog? It’s like… 10am,” he said.

The skateboarder nodded enthusiastically. “No better time!”

Against his better judgment, Alex finally nodded. “Sure.”

“Awesome! Come on, there’s a stand over there!” The other boy set down his skateboard and stepped on it, pushing off and wheeling away, leaving Alex to follow after him.

He wished he had thought to put his earbuds back in. It was too loud, there were too many thoughts, too many emotions. Alex had to pause, pressing his fingers to his temples, before setting off again to catch up.

At the stand, the skateboarder proved true to his words and paid for two street dogs, handing one to Alex once it was ready and leading him to a bench nearby.

“Bon appetite!” he said, tapping his hot dog against Alex’s before taking a large bite. Alex grinned, taking a bite of his own and watching the other chew thoughtfully for a moment.

“I’m Willie, by the way,” the other said wiping a smudge of ketchup off his cheek with a finger. Alex couldn’t help but follow the motion with his eyes, lowering his chin slightly in a futile attempt to hide his gulp.

“Alex,” he offered in return, taking another bite to try and hide his awkwardness. “I’m not normally this jumpy, you know.” That was a lie. Of course he was.

Willie shrugged, pushing his hair back over his shoulder. “It’s all good. I think a lot of people are jumpy with the way the world is now.” He glanced over his shoulder at a Guardian stationed at a street corner and shuddered.

It was hard to ignore the ease with which Willie conducted himself. Alex was almost envious of how calm the other was… although of course, Willie probably didn’t have every thought and feeling on the street broadcasting itself to him.

“Thanks for this,” Alex commented, trying to hide his awkwardness, holding up the hot dog. It was completely genuine; he had no money and probably would have ended up checking the dumpsters for good later. Most of their food came from Bobby’s job at the restaurant, but if his friend was quitting his job, then they would need to find a new source of food.

“Don’t sweat it. I like helping out when I can, honestly,” Willie replied, the corners of his lips tugging upwards. “Just call me a Good Samaritan and call it a day.”

Alex chuckled. “Not too many of those around these days.”

“All the more reason to be one of the good ones!” Willie had an infectious energy to him, all the way down to the emotional signature rolling off of him. He hadn’t let go of that yellow thread, not since he had tracked it back to Willie.

They ate in silence for a moment, finishing the hot dogs.

“So you like music, then?” Willie asked.

“Huh?” He mentally berated himself for the unintelligent response.

“Your earbuds. You were listening to music, right? Before I pancaked you?”

Alex grimaced. “Oh. Yeah. I, er, yeah. I like music.”

“Whatcha listening to?” Willie asked, reaching for the earbuds hanging down the front of Alex’s hoodie, still blasting music. Before he knew it, Willie had one earbud in and was grinning, bobbing his head to the beat. “This is nice.” His voice was slightly raised over the music.

Alex couldn’t help it. Willie’s thoughts were as clear as day, and he was genuinely enjoying the music, none the wiser to Alex’s intrusion.

~This is so much better than recruiting for Caleb,~ Willie was thinking. He caught Alex’s eye, his entire face lighting up. “I haven’t heard this song in years!”

Alex chuckled nervously. “Yeah, I have a few older songs on that playlist,” he said, twisting his hands in front of him. With Willie using his earbud, they were sitting rather close to each other - still not touching, but close - and Alex could smell the woodsy cologne Willie was wearing.

“Hey, were you like, in a rush to go anywhere or anything?” Willie asked suddenly, dropping the earbud and sitting up straight again. “Because if this is the type of music you like, there’s something I want to show you.”

He really should have said no. Alex should have said no, he needed to go look for any small jobs he could find. But Willie was radiating sunshine and was looking at him so expectantly that, after a moment of hesitation, Alex finally nodded. “No, no rush. Lead the way.”

Willie beamed at him, rising to his feet and extending a hand to Alex. He took it, and once again it was as if he had dropped into a soundproof box. Alex couldn’t hear any thoughts, couldn’t sense any emotions, and he quickly dropped Willie’s hand, recoiling back and internally cringing at the way the other’s face fell. As soon as they weren’t in contact anymore, Alex felt the sunshine fade, replaced by a grey cloud.

“You okay?” Willie asked, folding his hands in front of him.

“I’m, uh…” Alex swallowed, pressing his fingertips to his temples. There was a Guardian nearby and he eyed it warily.

~Come with me.~ He almost didn’t hear it at first, but a second later, Alex realized it hadn’t been spoken aloud. Willie was looking at him with an urgent look in his eyes. “Let’s get out of here. There’s too many people around.”

Alex nodded mutely, still trying to process. Somehow, Willie knew. His thoughts were plain as day.

How did he know?

He didn’t have time to dwell, following after Willie as he walked off, ducking down an alley. Willie led him through the maze of back alleys until they emerged near a small park.

Alex swallowed. There wasn’t much untouched green space around the city, but this was a well-maintained park, if a little overgrown. Willie grinned over his shoulder, gesturing for Alex to follow him into the park, only stopping by a bench opposite a small fountain.

“I haven’t seen Guardians at this park in ages,” Willie explained, shrugging and sitting on the bench. “We’re safe, here.”

“We?”

“You’re a mutant, right?” Willie asked. Alex pressed his lips together, nodded.

“Yeah, I am.”

“Me too.”

Alex’s arms had been crossed in front of him, but he dropped them in shock. “Really?”

“Yeah,” Willie said, glancing away.

Something was weighing on him. “How’d you know I was? Are you a telepath or something?” Alex sat on the bench next to Willie, glancing sideways at him, then down at his lap.

“Something like that,” Willie answered, shrugging. “And you?”

“I’m not really sure,” Alex lied, clasping his hands in front of him. Willie seemed trustworthy enough but after five years on the street, he knew enough to be wary.

Willie was quiet for a moment, then he turned to look at Alex. “What happened earlier? When I touched you, I mean.”

He hesitated, swallowing hard, and Willie shook his head.

“You don’t have to explain if you don’t want to,” he said quickly, backpedalling, turning away. “I was just curious.”

“Sorry, I… you know, with everything the government’s been doing with the Guardians and the Census Law… I barely know you,” Alex said, feeling immensely awkward about the whole thing. “I guess it’s…”

“Hard to trust?”

Alex sighed. “Yeah.”

“I get it,” Willie said, shrugging. “I really do. The world isn’t kind to people like us. Sometimes I wish there was a way we could just… do something about it. I’ve been hanging with this guy who keeps talking about making a stand, but we all know what happened the last time someone tried something like that.”

Storm clouds rolled off Willie, and Alex hung his head, letting out a breath. “Yeah. It’s… it’s not fun.”

“That’s for sure…” Willie trailed off, staring down at his lap. An awkward silence followed, until Alex cleared his throat.

“So, uh. Skateboarding? I haven’t seen many people doing that lately.” He figured a change in subject was a good idea, since talking about the crapsack world they lived in wasn’t really a good conversation for a first meeting with someone.

“Yeah!” Willie said, glancing at him. “I used to hang around skate parks all the time, and it’s fun, y’know?”

Alex nodded slowly, arching an eyebrow. “It’s fun to knock people to the ground?”

“Hey! In my defense, you weren’t paying attention to your surroundings at all!”

They both laughed. From there, it was easy to fall into casual conversation. At some point, they got up from the bench and walked back through the alleys, emerging onto a main street near a holoscreen that was playing a pre-recorded speech by the popular anti-mutant senator, Trevor Wilson. Alex and Willie paused, glancing at each other, and Alex was amused to see the look of disdain on Willie’s face that matched his own feelings. No self-respecting mutant, not even one who was keeping their abilities a secret, would ever support Trevor Wilson. He was responsible for the Census Law, and worse, the Guardians.

They continued on, chatting idly. Alex was pleasantly surprised to realize that not only was Willie gorgeous, he was also extremely kind-hearted and hilarious. In fact, he was laughing at a joke Willie had made when he heard it. A siren, cutting through all the white noise and reaching his mind as clear as if it had sounded right next to him. Reggie’s voice, inside his head, screaming.

Alex doubled over in pain, clapping one hand over his forehead.

“Alex?” Willie asked, but he didn’t, couldn’t respond.

Something terrible was happening. He was sure of it. Reggie’s normally rosy emotional signature was a deep blood red, almost brown, accompanied by a rampaging storm. Alex spun on the spot, trying to pinpoint what direction it was coming from.

“What’s happening? Alex, you’re worrying me...” Willie tried again.

“I don’t...” Alex tried to say, just as an orange ribbon joined Reggie. Bobby.

Please, he thought, please let them be alright.

He tried searching for Luke, but couldn’t find the blue threads. His heart nearly stopped.

Had something happened to Luke? Had he been picked up by the Guardians?

He didn’t know if he could go on without Luke.

Alex ignored Willie’s attempts to get his attention, taking a few steps forward. He needed to figure out where they were. He needed to find them.

“Alex!” Willie said, more forcefully. Alex didn’t answer, and a moment later, everything went silent.

“Hey!” Alex exclaimed, wheeling around, staring at Willie who had a tight hold on his wrist. “I need to—“

“What happened?” Willie asked, his voice quiet. Calm.

Alex screwed his eyes shut, trying to yank his wrist away so he could try to listen for his friends again, but Willie didn’t relent. Finally, Alex let out a long groan.

“Something happened to one of my friends,” he explained, levelling a glassy stare at Willie. “I need to find them.”

“I get it,” Willie said, putting his free hand on Alex’s shoulder. “I’m going to let go, now.”

Alex nodded, his lips pressed tightly together. He didn’t bother to spare the time to question Willie’s mutant abilities or the other boy’s strange understanding of his own abilities, too focused on the current issue of his friends.

The moment Willie let go, Reggie’s siren was screaming in Alex’s head once more. This time, though, it was accompanied by a dusty blue storm. Luke was okay. Alex heaved a sign.

“Anything?” Willie asked, watching Alex in concern.

He tried to focus on the storm. After a moment, he finally figured out what direction it was coming from.

“I think I know where they are,” he said through clenched teeth. “Follow me.”

“Of course,” Willie replied, trailing behind Alex as he ran towards the source of the storm.

Towards the restaurant.

His feet hit the hard pavement rhythmically, and he ignored everything around him.

As they rounded the corner, Reggie’s siren grew louder. Alex was caught off guard and misjudged the distance, running into an old bike rack. He grunted in pain, rubbing his hip.

“Be careful,” Willie warned, but once again, Alex couldn’t hear him. Reggie was standing up ahead, and Alex pulled up beside him.

“Reg!”

His friend turned. Reggie’s eyes were bloodshot, and he was wringing his hands.

“They’re inside,” he muttered, eyeing Willie cautiously.

“What happened?”

~Guardian raid on the restaurant,~ Reggie thought, his lips pressed stubbornly together. ~I was going to see if Bobby’s manager would hire me instead of him. When we heard them coming, Luke told me to go outside, in case...~

He trailed off, and Alex nodded tersely. While Bobby and Luke had a decent grasp on their mutant abilities, Reggie and Alex still had trouble controlling theirs, and it would be dead obvious if Reggie spontaneously burst into flames in front of the Guardians.

“They’re both in there?” Alex asked, ever conscious of the sunshine dancing on the edge of his mind. Willie was trying to send him comfort, but Reggie’s fear was drowning it out.

~Yeah. Who’s that?~

Alex swallowed. “You can trust him.”

“Four Guardians,” Reggie said out loud, screwing his eyes shut.

A helicopter flew overhead, and police cars pulled up. Willie grabbed at Alex’s arm, and his mind was filled with static for a brief moment as the skateboarder pulled him and Reggie back. Just before Willie released him, Alex felt his touch grow hot.

“Your friends will be fine,” Willie said, crossing his arms in front of him. “I’m sure of it.”

“As long as they don’t resist,” Alex said, his hand on Reggie’s shoulder. His friend turned and met his gaze, apprehension filling his thoughts. “I know.”

Luke and Bobby were the worst possible people to be locked in a building with Guardians.

Alex searched the building desperately. He always had trouble trying to zero in on any one particular thread when he wasn’t looking at the person he was trying to reach, and had even worse luck when it was through a wall. Finally, he found the scraps of blue and orange, near four voids.

Guardians didn’t have thoughts or feelings.

There was too much white noise, too many others inside the restaurant, for him to narrow in on what his friends were thinking. All he had were their emotions. Bobby was angry, his orange signature twisting and doubling back on itself, while Luke was more cautious, wary,  _ afraid _ . It wasn’t like Luke to be afraid.

“What’s happening?” Reggie asked, his fingers finding the edge of Alex’s hoodie and gripping on tightly.

“I can’t tell,” Alex replied, stamping his foot. “I need to get closer.”

“Alex—“

“That’s my family in there,” Alex snapped, not looking at Willie. “I need to know what’s happening.”

Willie’s sunshine faltered. “Be careful,” he said.

Reggie didn’t let go of his hoodie. “‘Lex. Don’t let them get arrested.”

“I won’t,” Alex promised, carefully peeling Reggie’s fingers away and linking pinkies with him for the briefest moment before pulling away and walking towards the restaurant, trying to focus on the blue and orange storm.

As he got closer, the storm swelled, filling his mind. His head pounded but he kept walking, refusing to relent. There were no officers left outside, which made it easier to get closer.

He had no warning before several gunshots rang out, loud and clear, and the storm went still. Alex’s heart dropped, and his feet picked up into a run.

The side door to the restaurant opened and a lone figure slipped out, breaking into a run, not looking back. Orange beanie. Luke. Alex met him halfway, grabbing the front of Luke’s jacket and pulling him close.

“Is Bobby behind me?” Luke asked, breathlessly, urgently. He glanced over his shoulders. “The bus boy was a mutant. The Guardians, they... they killed him. Just like that. I ran. They never saw me, but Bobby was… they turned on him, demanded his registration… I don’t…” He was uncharacteristically panicked, and that only heightened Alex’s own nerves. He could still sense the orange ribbon on the edge of his consciousness, but it was intertwined with dark threads.

Alex watched the door, his foot tapping anxiously. There was a loud crack, and Bobby appeared in front of them.

“Get out of here!” he shouted, waving his arms. “Go! Now! You don’t have much time!”

Alex exchanged a look and a nod with Luke, turning and running back towards Reggie and Willie.  _ Bobby would be fine _ , he thought. After all, Bobby was a teleporter. He could escape anything.

Reggie and Willie were behind a dumpster, and as soon as Alex and Luke rounded the corner, Reggie threw himself at Luke, clutching him close. Willie gave Alex a terse nod, hanging back.

“Where’s Bobby?” Reggie asked, sniffing.

“He was right behind us,” Alex said, glancing back around the corner. Bobby was still in the same spot, now staring down the four Guardians. Alex couldn’t understand why Bobby wasn’t moving. He couldn’t hear what they were saying, but Bobby’s thoughts were as clear as though he were standing right beside Alex.

~Take care of Reggie. Don’t let him work here. Make sure Luke doesn’t try to provoke the Guardians. Look after yourself and don’t let this destroy you. I love you guys.~

Bobby was scared, Alex could tell. His thoughts wavered and repeated on a loop, almost like a litany, and it was obvious they were meant for him. As Alex focused on the thoughts, realisation slowly dawned on him.

Bobby wouldn’t. He wouldn’t do it. He was sure of it.

Everything happened in slow motion. Alex watched as Bobby glanced over his shoulder for a brief second, then took a step towards the Guardians, watched as the one in front raised its gun and aimed at Bobby. He silently begged Bobby to move, to teleport away, to save himself. He heard the gunshot pierce through the open air, watched as Bobby was thrown back by the impact, watched his friend crumble to the ground, unmoving. He felt the orange ribbon flutter from his mind, slowly extinguishing as the Guardian stepped forward, firing another round that erased the orange completely.

His heart leapt into his throat. It couldn’t be happening. A gut-wrenching scream filled the air, and it took him a moment to realize it was his own voice screaming out. Beside him, Reggie was frozen, his face pale, his mind a jumbled mess of a red storm and scattered thoughts. Behind him, Luke was screaming too, reaching for him. Alex didn’t realize he was moving forward until Luke was grabbing at him, pulling him back. The red and blue spiraled around each other in his mind, filling his head, making him feel like he was about to explode.

A yellow ribbon edged its way into his thoughts just before another hand descended on his shoulder, cutting every thought and feeling from his mind except his own.

It didn’t help.

Alex cried out again, his legs buckling underneath him as the pavement rushed up to meet him and the reality of what had happened came crashing down on him.

One of his brothers, his family was gone. Taken from them.

Bobby was gone.


	2. Not Losing Another Friend

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for the love on the last chapter! #sorrynotsorry for that ending...
> 
> Hope you enjoy chapter 2!
> 
> Warning for very unhealthy forms of grieving in this chapter. Grief affects everyone differently, and as Alex is an empath, he is effectively feeling both his own grief and that of Reggie and Luke. If you or someone you know is hurting from grief, please try to find a support system that works.

**~Five years ago~**

_ Alex crawled out from behind the dumpster and rose to his feet, brushing off his jacket. The sun’s rays were just starting to spread over the city, which meant people were about to flood the street. _

_ Damn. He had slept in. _

_ Alex tugged his hood up over his head, heading off down the street, hoping to find a quiet, secluded place to spend the day. As he walked, he gave a wide berth to any Guardians he saw. While they were still new, he didn’t trust them. _

_ He didn’t trust anyone associated with the government. _

_ While he walked, he noticed a sign on a billboard, advertising Trevor Wilson, the inventor of the Guardians, and his campaign for senator. Alex was somewhat familiar with politics, but one didn’t need to know politics to know what Trevor Wilson’s campaign was built on. He remembered hearing the stories of Monica Wilson’s unfortunate death at the hands of a rogue mutant, leaving Trevor a single father to his young daughter and filled with rage towards anyone with extraordinary abilities. Like Alex. _

_ A group of people walked by him, and Alex’s head was filled with their thoughts. Most of them were mundane, but one of them was hiding a secret, and the storm cloud of their nerves hit him like a sack of bricks. Down the road, he came across another small group of people arguing, and he quickly ducked down an alley. _

_ He had only been on the streets for a couple of months, but those months had seemed long. Sometimes Alex thought about returning home to his parents, but the thought of how they had reacted when his mutant abilities first manifested kept him away. He couldn’t bear the thought of seeing the disappointment in their eyes again. _

_ Around another corner he ducked, coming face-to-face with a boy who looked to be around his age. _

_ “Hey, watch it!” the boy said, taking a step back and shooting Alex a glare. His thoughts were clear as day, his emotions a dark blue storm cloud, and Alex cringed. _

_ “Sorry,” he said, swallowing and wringing his hands in front of him. The other boy ran his eyes over Alex and he immediately felt self-conscious with his dirty, ripped jacket and clothes he hadn’t washed in a couple of months. By contrast, the other boy had on a tank top and an orange beanie. Alex couldn’t help but let his gaze linger on the boy’s arms, exposed as they were. Then he let his eyes roam back to the boy’s face. _

_ In any other situation, Alex would have thought the other boy to be rather attractive. _

_ The storm cloud passed suddenly, replaced by a clear, blue ribbon. “How long have you been on the streets?” the other boy asked abruptly, crossing his arms in front of him. _

_ “I--” Alex started, glancing around. “Is it… it’s not really that obvious, is it?” _

_ The other boy arched an eyebrow. “Just a bit,” he commented, shrugging. His thoughts confirmed it and Alex cringed. _

_ “A couple of months,” he admitted, biting his lip and staring down at the ground. _

_ “It’s been a year for me,” the boy said, shrugging. Alex already knew that, of course, but he couldn’t say that. Instead, he slowly raised his gaze, shifting his weight back and forth. _

_ “Does it get any easier?” _

_ “Eventually.” After a moment, the boy nodded behind him. “You hungry? There’s a bakery around the corner, and the girl who opens likes me. She gives me free pastries.” _

_ “Really?” Alex’s stomach chose that particular moment to let out a low, rumbling growl, and the other boy laughed. _

_ “Follow me. I’m Luke, by the way.” _

_ “Alex.” _

_ As he followed Luke down the alley and around the corner to the bakery, Alex couldn’t help but think that maybe living on the streets wouldn’t be so bad. _

_ Six months passed and Luke and Alex were inseparable. By the end of the first month, they had each admitted to being mutants to each other, and Alex had learned that Luke had run away from home after a particularly rough argument with his parents about something completely unrelated. In turn, he had opened up to Luke about his own struggles with his parents. _

_ Luke had a wealth of knowledge about living on the street, and Alex welcomed it with open arms. It was nice to be around someone who understood what he was going through, and Luke radiated the type of energy that made Alex feel safe and comfortable around him. _

_ It was evening, and they were searching for a place to sleep for the night. _

_ Alex nodded up ahead. “What about there?” _

_ Luke glanced over. “Not another dumpster,” he groaned. _

_ “I know, but unless you can think of something better…” _

_ His friend groaned again, crossing his arms in front of him. “Fine,” he grumbled. He was radiating a dark blue storm, and Alex put his fingers on his arm. _

_ “Try to cool off?” _

_ To his credit, Luke immediately began to think happy thoughts as they walked towards the dumpster. As they drew closer, though, a deep red ribbon of emotion started to waft toward Alex and he squeezed his eyes shut, his fingertips to his temples. _

_ “Hey, ‘Lex,you good?” Luke asked, looking at him in concern. _

_ “Someone’s… someone’s hurting over there,” Alex replied, squinting over at the dumpster. As usual, he couldn’t really make out any individual thoughts aside from Luke’s, so when his friend started walking closer, Alex trailed behind, peering into the darkness behind the dumpster. _

_ “Hello?” Luke called. _

_ Immediately, Alex felt whoever it was go from sad and lonely to being on high alert. A small spot of light appeared in the darkness and grew rapidly. _

_ “Who’s there!” they heard, the voice small, cracking a bit. The light flickered and glowed, small licks escaping and rising to the sky. _

_ “Luke, is that…?” _

_ “That’s fire,” Luke replied, his eyes going wide. _

_ When they got closer, Alex could make out a small figure huddled behind the dumpster, behind the fire. “We’re not going to hurt you,” he said, holding up his hands. Following the red threads, he finally managed to pinpoint the boy’s thoughts. “We’re not going to turn you in. We’re like you.” _

_ Luke glanced sideways at Alex, catching his eye and nodding. “Who’s there?” he called, distorting his voice to sound exactly like the boy in the shadows. _

_ Finally the stranger emerged, his shoulders hunched over, his hand out with a small lick of flame hovering above it. He was wearing a black tank and jeans that looked like they had been burned through in places. _

_ “Who are you?” he asked, his voice wavering. _

_ “I’m Luke, and this is Alex.” Luke was still using the boy’s voice, and Alex noted how it made him uncomfortable. _

_ “It’s okay. Luke can control sound, and I can read minds,” he explained, glancing behind. They could never be too careful, not with Guardians roaming the street. _

_ “I’m Reggie,” the boy finally said, wrapping his arms around himself. “I, er…” he held up his hand, demonstrating the flame before closing his fist and extinguishing it. _

_ “You’re alone out here?” Luke asked. _

_ Reggie nodded, still wary, his emotions still stormy. “I got kicked out. I was just hiding here until I can find somewhere to go.” _

_ Alex frowned. Reggie’s thoughts confirmed it, and he glanced sideways at Luke, who was looking back at him. _

_ ~Alex. Listen,~ Luke thought, reaching over and putting his hand on Alex’s shoulder. ~We can’t just leave him here. He looks so… lonely. We should let him tag along.~ _

_ One look back at Reggie had Alex nodding in agreement, and Luke stepped forward. He cringed as Reggie flinched back, and raised his hands. _

_ “Alex and I have been running around together for a while, now. We know the streets pretty well, and we know how to avoid the Guardians. You wanna come with us?” _

_ Reggie’s eyes widened and he nodded quickly, his gaze flicking between the two of them. “Okay,” he breathed, rubbing his palms against his pants. “I’ve gotta warn you, though, I don’t really know how to--” He cut himself off with a yelp as a lick of flame travelled from his hand to his pants, leaving another charred hole. “Aw, man…” _

_ Alex arched an eyebrow. “I mean, at least you can’t hear every thought of every person around you,” he said dryly. A grin tugged on the corners of Reggie’s lips. _

_ For the next six months, the three of them were inseparable. Reggie was like the missing puzzle piece to Alex and Luke, connecting them when they had their differences. They fell into a rhythm, working odd jobs during the day for some pocket cash and practising with their mutant abilities at night, except for when Luke conspicuously disappeared. During those times, Alex and Reggie would sit and talk, getting to know each other more. If he had to guess, Alex would best compare Reggie with a puppy, nervous yet excited to explore the world. _

_ The day that Luke found the abandoned warehouse loft, they moved in almost immediately. The couch was already there, and they furnished the rest of the place sparingly, using what little money they had left after paying for food. Although it had no heat, no electricity, and no running water, it was home. _

_ One night, while they were walking down the street eating street tacos and chatting idly (when Alex wasn’t distracted by the thoughts and feelings of everyone else around him), they came across a Guardian facing down a teenager. _

_ “Present confirmation of non-mutant status,” the Guardian droned, its hands down at its side. _

_ “There’s no legal reason why I have to provide that,” said the boy, crossing his arms over his chest. “So just let me go, already!” _

_ It was surprisingly easy to trace the boy’s emotions through the growing crowd, Alex found, although he guessed it was because the Guardian was right there and he knew there was usually a void around them. There was a bright orange ribbon in his mind, and Alex could tell he wasn’t scared, or anxious. He was defiant. Confident. It was different. _

_ Beside him, Luke’s blue cloud was starting to get stormy, and on Luke’s other side, Reggie’s red ribbon was surprisingly rosy. _

_ “I know him!” Reggie breathed, getting more excited by the second. “We went to school together, and I always thought he was really cool. Like,  really cool. But he stopped coming like, two years ago, and we all thought he’d been picked up by the Guardians or something.” _

_ “Uh huh…” Alex hummed, trying hard to stay out of Reggie’s thoughts. When Reggie got started thinking about something, he didn’t stop, and his thoughts were a circling mess. As hard as he tried, he couldn’t help but pick up traces of the extent of Reggie’s appreciation for the guy staring down the Guardian. _

_ Then again, Alex could appreciate someone making a stand. It was more than he had the confidence to do. _

_ Eventually, the Guardian relented and backed away, allowing Bobby to leave. The three of them stood and watched as the boy turned, spying them. His gaze landed on Reggie, and he laughed, walking towards them. _

_ “Reggie? Is that you?” _

_ “Bobby, hey! It’s been a while…” _

_ “No kidding,” Bobby said, eyeing Luke and Alex. “New friends?” _

_ Reggie flushed. “My parents kicked me out,” he said, staring down at the ground. “Alex and Luke, here, they… they’ve been looking out for me.” _

_ Alex nodded at the new boy, noting the confident way in which he carried himself. _

_ “What happened back there?” Luke asked, ever the blunt one. “How’d you get the Guardian to leave you alone?” _

_ Bobby shrugged. “It’s not like I was doing anything wrong. There’s no law that says I have to disclose anything. Even if there was a law, though, I don’t think I’d care enough to actually tell the truth.” _

_ Luke was already enamoured, Alex could tell. Reggie was grinning at the other boy, clearly happy to be around someone he knew, and Alex had to admit, Bobby was definitely interesting. _

_ “So you’re a…?” Alex asked, trailing off with a nervous glance around him. He already knew the answer, but a small part of him wanted to hear Bobby say it. _

_ “Yeah,” Bobby said, shrugging. “You?” _

_ “All three of us, yeah,” Reggie chimed in. _

_ “And you’ve been handling the Guardians alright?” Bobby rolled his eyes. “They updated them last month, and now they’re a bit more of a pain, but I think I’ve got it down, how to deal with them.” _

_ Alex shrugged. “We handle them when we need to. Mostly we just try to stay out of the way.” _

_ “I get that,” Bobby said, running his fingers through his hair. “Hey, you guys wanna learn a few tricks I’ve picked up?” _

_ Reggie nodded enthusiastically, and Luke was just as eager. All eyes turned to Alex, and he nodded. _

_ Bobby stuck around, moving into the loft with them, and the rest was history. For four years, the four of them stuck together, learning almost everything there was to know about each other. Reggie was the first to say it, but they all agreed that they were a family, through thick and thin, come hell or high water. _

_ Too bad the universe had a funny way of treating them. _

**~Present~**

Alex didn’t remember how he got back home, or when Willie left the loft. In fact, he didn’t remember much of the next few days. Somehow, he ended up lying on the mattress on the floor next to the couch, curled up on his side, staring at the wall. The wall where Bobby had once stood, leaning back casually, sipping coffee he had stolen from the restaurant to keep himself awake.

He couldn’t move, though. His own pain was already threatening to overcome him, and Luke and Reggie were hurting as bad as him, if not more. Alex’s mind was a constant, unending storm of blue, red, and pink, the orange threads conspicuously absent, and it was debilitating. Reggie had tried to get him up on the first day, but Alex’s body had refused to move, had refused to support him. All he could do was lie on his side, staring at the wall, fully aware of everything happening around him but unable to move.

Luke was the opposite. He didn’t stop moving, pacing around the warehouse. Every once in a while he would disappear through the window and Reggie would fret until he returned, holding a bag of food that he and Reggie would share. Alex didn’t eat, not even when Luke put a bowl of crackers by his head. He couldn’t.

Sometimes, Luke would go out the fire escape to the alley below and punch the wall - not that they could hear him do it, since he muffled the sound of it. Alex only knew that because Reggie would go to the window and beg for him to come back upstairs, to not leave him alone, not when Alex couldn’t comfort him.

When Reggie wasn’t fretting over Luke, he was sitting in the corner, crying. He was taking it the hardest, since he had been the closest of the three of them to Bobby, and there hadn’t been so much fire in the loft since they had first moved in. From time to time, he would come sit next to Alex and try to get him to eat something, but to no avail. At night, Reggie’s sobs were at their loudest, and by the second night, Luke was sitting by Reggie’s side, creating a bubble around him to muffle the sound, to keep passerbys from noticing they were there.

On the fourth night, Reggie had cried himself to sleep and Luke collapsed on the floor next to Alex.

"I can't keep doing this, 'Lex. I just... I can't."

Reggie was terrified they would get caught. Luke was angry at the government that had created a system where the Guardians could execute innocent people on the streets. Emotions crashed over each other, invading Alex’s mind, making it impossible for him to even attempt to focus on trying to move. So he lay there, on his side, staring blankly. The storm in his mind was so strong that he couldn’t even hear his friends’ thoughts. Then again, he could barely form his own thoughts.

On the sixth day, Luke dropped the bowl of crackers back by Alex’s head.

“You gotta eat!” It was said roughly, and in Alex’s periphery he could see Reggie flinch.

All he could do was mumble half-heartedly in response, turning his head ever-so-slightly into the pillow Reggie had tucked under him. Or had it been Willie? He didn’t remember.

“Dammit, Alex! If you don’t eat, we’re gonna lose you, too!”

“Luke--”

“No!” Luke kicked the bowl of crackers away, whirling around and putting his head in his hands. “I’m not losing another friend.”

Reggie started to cry again, and Alex groaned, screwing his eyes shut. It didn’t block out the sound of his friends arguing, though. In fact, it almost made it worse.

“Would you stop crying? I can’t muffle the warehouse all the damn time!”

“We just lost our brother, and Alex is barely holding on!”

“I know that!”

Footsteps stomped across the floor, followed by a second body scurrying to follow.

“Where are you going?”

“Out.”

“Luke, you can’t--”

“Don’t tell me what to do!”

The blue storm faded and Alex felt a tiny bit of the pressure release. Just as quickly, Reggie’s storm swelled as the younger boy collapsed to the floor next to Alex, sobbing.

“He’s gonna get taken. He’s gonna get taken.” Reggie repeated it like a mantra between sobs and heaving breaths, pausing after seven or eight times, then adding, “he’s gonna get taken, and you’re not gonna wake up, and I’m gonna be all alone again.”

Alex cracked his eyes open. Reggie was sitting on the mattress by his legs, the red storm fading to a dull ache in the back of Alex’s mind, and his sobs had faded. He looked exhausted, his face drawn and his eyes downcast.

It took every ounce of strength Alex had to slowly extend his arm towards Reggie, his fingertips finding his friend’s knee and gently resting there. He heard Reggie gasp, then felt fingers intertwining with his own. The dull red ribbon brightened ever-so-slightly, relief filling Reggie’s thoughts.

“Alex?” His voice was small, hesitant. It reminded Alex of when they had first met, when Reggie had been hiding behind a dumpster looking for all the world like a lost puppy. “Are you okay?”

He couldn’t form words, but he could squeeze Reggie’s hand to offer him the smallest amount of comfort.

“I know you’re in there,” Reggie added, leaning sideways, against Alex’s legs. “And I know this is hurting you and I’m so sorry… I… Bobby was…” He trailed off, squeezing his eyes shut. His thoughts were a jumbled mess, and Alex couldn’t piece any of them together. All he could do was squeeze Reggie’s hand once more as his friend’s tears started again. Of course, this was hurting Reggie the most, Alex knew, since he had always been the closest to Bobby. The two of them had spent many evenings curled up together while Luke was out and Alex had tried not to invade their thoughts too much.

They sat like that for a while. There was a loud creak at the window, and Alex watched Reggie flinch, turning his attention that way. It was Luke climbing through, looking exhausted. Even the blue ribbon in Alex’s mind was limp, hardly the storm it had been earlier.

“Any change?” he asked, his eyes moving to their joined hands. Reggie was silent, and Luke nodded, twisting his hands together. “Right. I’m, er--”

“He can hear us,” Reggie said, pushing himself to his feet. “You should know that.”

Luke crossed his arms in front of him. “I figured.”

“Luke…”

“We’re the reason he’s like that in the first place.” He leaned against the wall, opposite them. “I just… I don’t know why I… I just can’t  _ not  _ be angry, you know? They took Bobby from us. He’s gone. And now Alex is just… not okay, and I’m just so…”

“I know,” Reggie said, still holding Alex’s hand. “I miss him so much… but we can’t lose Alex too.”

“Which is why he needs to eat,” Luke said roughly, pushing off the wall and crossing the floor, crouching down. Alex followed him with his eyes, watching as he picked up the bowl of crackers and brought it back closer to him. “Please, Alex? For us? Just one cracker?”

He knew he had to, but it was a question of whether or not he could. Alex slowly let go of Reggie’s hand, summoning everything he had to draw his arm up. He heard Luke draw in a breath, and felt Reggie’s hand on his knee as he lifted his hand and reached into the bowl, pulling out a cracker. Next, he brought it just as gingerly to his mouth, slipping it in and chewing slowly. It was a struggle, but he managed to swallow it.

It was the best cracker he had ever eaten.

Luke settled on the mattress beside him, sitting cross-legged. “I’m so sorry, ‘Lex. For everything.” Alex managed a small nod, meeting Luke’s gaze. “Here,” his friend said, taking a cracker out of the bowl and feeding it to him. Any other time, it would have been embarrassing, but Alex could feel how genuine Luke was in his desire to help, and for the first time in six days, the storm in Alex’s head was fading away, replaced by the melancholy of their shared pain.

Alex started crying first, turning his head into the pillow. Reggie, still down by his legs, joined quickly, and Luke wasn’t far behind him. The emotion wasn’t overwhelming, though. In fact, it was far from it. It was almost comforting, since his friends were so close.

He woke up in the morning to Reggie curled up on his legs and Luke lying behind him, his arm hanging over Alex’s side, his forehead against his shoulder. The bowl of crackers was still there, and he dislodged his hand from Luke’s, reaching for one. The movement woke up Luke, and Alex felt him sit up behind him.

~Alex.~ He focused on Luke’s thoughts. ~I can’t say how sorry I am. There aren’t words to describe how terrible I feel about everything. It must have been awful for you the past few days… I’ve been a horrible friend, I know, and I’m just… so sorry…~ Alex could feel how much Luke was hurting, all trace of his former anger gone.

Ever so slowly, Alex turned his neck, peeking up at his friend. “Wuh…” He cut himself off, frowning. His throat was dry, and it was hard to produce any kind of sound. Luke drew in a sharp breath behind him, scrambling off the mattress.

Reggie stirred, down by Alex’s legs. “Luke?”

“He’s trying to say something,” Luke blurted out, coming back to Alex with a small cup of water. “Here.”

Reggie was up by Alex’s head suddenly, holding him up just enough that Luke could put the cup to his lips. He let the cool liquid run over his tongue and swallowed, then licked his lips and tried again.

“W-we… we need each other,” he said slowly, stopping and starting. “We’re… a family. Thick ‘n’ thin.”

“Come hell or high water,” Luke finished, patting Alex’s arm.

With Reggie’s help and support, Alex slowly pushed himself up off the mattress, making it to a sitting position. He leaned against Reggie, letting Luke give him more water.

“We’ve got you,” Reggie said, rubbing Alex’s shoulders. “Always.”

Alex nodded, offering a small smile, while Luke grabbed the bowl of crackers. After eating a small handful, he held the bowl out to Alex.

“Hungry?”

“Mhm,” Alex hummed, reaching slowly for one.

It was slow for the first couple of days. While Alex’s mind was recovering, his body was still suffering from a week of lying prone and not eating. After two days, he could sit up on his own, and by the fourth day, Reggie and Luke helped him to his feet. Their determination fueled Alex’s, though, and two weeks after Bobby had died, he was finally walking and eating by himself.

“We should do something for Bobby,” Reggie said one evening while they sat side-by-side on the couch, Luke and Reggie eating street tacos and Alex eating crackers and baby carrots.

“What do you mean?” Alex asked around a mouthful of food, glancing across Luke to where Reggie was sitting.

“We never really, er… we didn’t get the chance to do anything. Like hold a memorial or something. I kinda want to, y’know?”

“What were you thinking?” Luke asked, also looking Reggie’s way.

“I dunno… maybe we could go to the roof? He spent a lot of time up there. Never really told me what he did up there, though.”

“Never told me either,” Alex commented, popping another cracker into his mouth.

“Or me,” Luke added, shrugging. “We could go to the roof, yeah. Say a few things, maybe.”

They finished their dinner and Reggie led the way out onto the fire escape. It creaked under their combined weight, but held while they climbed up. Reggie helped Alex over the ledge at the top, and they both reached down to help Luke.

When they turned, Alex’s lips parted in a small ‘o’ shape.

The four of them had been together for five years, and he liked to think he knew almost everything about his friends. There were things they each kept secret, of course, like where Luke disappeared to at night, or the real reason Reggie had been kicked out (and Alex only knew this because sometimes he had trouble staying out of their thoughts, although he had never delved deep enough to learn the truth). His own secret was about his brother’s death ten years ago, so he didn’t blame them.

He had figured Bobby was keeping some sort of secret from them, but he hadn’t expected the rooftop to be covered in flower pots. There were roses and tulips, and some other types of flowers Alex couldn’t identify. Really, it was a sea of flowers, covering the roof like a scene right from a book, a stark contrast to the Bobby he thought they had known. The Bobby Alex remembered was sharp, determined, focused.

“Did either of you know this was up here?” Luke asked, as Reggie ran his fingers along the edge of one of the pots.

“No,” Alex replied, staring around with wide eyes.

“It’s beautiful,” Reggie breathed, turning every which way, taking it all in. His mind was a myriad of colours, shining so brightly that Alex felt a headache edging in. Luke’s mind was more muted, more shocked.

They stood together in the centre of the roof, next to a large potted sunflower.

“Well?” Alex asked, glancing at Reggie. “What should we say?”

Reggie was quiet for a moment, still taking in the multitude of flowers.

“Bobby came into our lives when we all really needed someone like him,” Luke spoke up, rubbing his palms together. “He knew things I hadn’t ever even considered, and he was a lot more level headed than I could ever hope to be.” He sniffed, and Alex reached over, taking his hand.

“He made us complete,” he said, putting his other hand on Reggie’s shoulder. “We were just… three boys, trying to survive, and Bobby made it all worth it.”

“He hated the Guardians more than any of us, but he was the only one of us who ever had the guts to stand up to them,” Luke added, squeezing Alex’s hand. “He inspired us every day.”

“I loved him,” Reggie whispered, barely audible, “and they took him. He was only 21. He had so much to look forward to…”

“We all loved him,” Luke said, but Reggie shook his head. Alex couldn’t help but overhear his thoughts, and he leaned into the younger boy.

“I know,” he murmured, pulling Reggie closer as his friend started to crumble, tears starting to stream down his face once again.

“It’s not fair,” Reggie said, his voice choked up, his mind in turmoil. “Not fair…”

Luke dropped Alex’s hand, stepping around him and pulling Reggie into a hug that Alex quickly joined. Their heads all touched, and while Reggie was overcome with emotion and Luke was hurting too, it wasn’t as debilitating as it had been before. It was like a steady, overcast rainshower, not a storm, and Alex figured it was because they were all sharing in the same pain.

“The best thing we can do now,” Luke started, his voice a whisper, “is to keep moving forward. He’d want us to do that.”

Alex nodded, watching as Reggie pulled away from the hug, his cheeks stained with tears, his eyes bloodshot.

“Do you guys mind, maybe… giving me a minute?” he asked, his voice surprisingly steady. “I want to, er, say some things. Privately.”

“Reg--”

“Let’s go,” Alex interrupted, giving Reggie a small nod. Luke looked like he was going to argue, and he held up his hand. “I’m feeling a bit tired, anyway.”

“Okay,” Luke finally said, turning back towards the fire escape.

Before Alex could follow, Reggie was reaching out, grabbing his wrist. “How did it feel?” he asked, his momentary brave face gone and replaced by the same broken expression from earlier.

At first, he was confused, but Reggie wasn’t doing a good job of masking his thoughts, and his real question was loud and clear. Thinking back over how he had felt immediately after getting back to the warehouse, Alex’s expression softened and he pulled Reggie closer, his friend’s pain washing over him and sending ripples through him.

“Kind of like that,” Alex replied, wrapping his arms around him. “But you’re strong. You’ll get through it.”

Reggie blinked, pulling away and wrapping his arms around his torso. “I really did love him,” he said, his thoughts once again loud and clear.

Alex suddenly felt like he was intruding. “I know,” he said, stepping back. “Just… come back down soon?”

“I will,” Reggie promised, linking pinkies with Alex for a moment before turning away.

He took that as his cue to leave, turning and slowly climbing back down the fire escape. He hadn’t been lying earlier - he was exhausted, both physically and mentally. He was so tired that it wasn’t until he was nearly at the window to the loft that he first noticed it.

It started small, a sprinkling of sunshine at the edges of his mind, peppered with nerves. It grew brighter as he gingerly climbed through the window, letting out an  _ oomf _ as his feet hit the floor.

“Alex?” he heard.

He turned, swallowing a lump in his throat as he took in the sight in front of him. Luke was standing off to the side, his arms wrapped around him, his expression stony, but Alex was focusing on the figure standing directly opposite him. He was wearing a tye-dyed shirt, and was carrying a skateboard. How he got the board up the fire escape and into the loft with him, Alex had no idea, since the door at ground level was bolted shut.

“Willie?” he breathed. Although he usually was too absorbed by the emotions of others to register his own, he could feel his own nerves settling in, creating a lump in his throat as he took a half step closer. “What are you doing here?”

Willie frowned, biting his lip. “I… I wanted to see if you were alright…” He was tentative, almost shy. “After what happened, I was… you were…”

“He was here when I got down,” Luke cut in. Alex turned to him, locking eye contact. “I’m going to go look for more food, but you should sit down or something.”

“Thanks,” Alex replied, offering Luke the smallest of smiles. He waited until his friend had disappeared through the fire escape before turning back to Willie.

“You disappeared,” he said, swallowing hard to try to clear his throat.

“How long were you out?” Willie asked, glancing at the mattress. Alex crossed the floor, settling onto the couch with a sigh. After a moment, Willie tentatively joined him, twisting his hands together.

“Almost a week,” Alex replied, noticing the sunshine fading. “It was awful.”

“I didn’t want to stick around because your friends didn’t know me.”

“That’s fair.” He leaned forward, putting his elbows on his knees and his face in his hands. “Why are you here now?”

Willie let out a breath. “When you see what I saw, you don’t forget about it. You were hurting so much, and I… I guess I just wanted to know if you were okay. It took me a while to remember where the warehouse was, though. Only been here once, heh.” He chuckled, but there were clouds forming in his mind.

“Oh.” Alex swallowed again. “Yeah, I’m good. It was rough at first, but the guys were here.”

“That’s good,” Willie replied, watching Alex carefully. “I’m glad you have them.”

“Yeah,” Alex murmured, turning to face Willie. “It’s nice to see you again. You know, you said you were going to show me something about music, but you never did.”

“Oh… yeah, heh. I kinda lied about that, just wanted to, er, get out of the main streets.”

Alex frowned. “Why?”

“Because,” Willie said, flushing, “I wanted to ask about you being a mutant. Which I did. And you didn’t say much.”

“There’s the whole trust thing.”

“Right, I remember.” Willie swallowed. “You asked how I knew you were a mutant.”

The conversation was coming back to Alex like it had happened yesterday. “You said you were a telepath.”

“I said it was something like that,” Willie corrected him. “Really, I’m--”

The red ribbon in the back of Alex’s mind flared into a deep maroon storm, and Alex squeezed his eyes shut, missing what Willie said.

“Alex?” Willie’s voice was concerned, but Alex couldn’t concentrate. Reggie was crying, he was sure of it, but he couldn’t pinpoint exactly what he was thinking. Suddenly, it all turned to static and he blinked, looking down at Willie’s fingers wrapped around his wrist.

“What are you doing to me?” he asked, trying to tug his hand away, but Willie held on.

“You don’t need to feel anymore pain,” he said, his brow furrowed.

“How are you doing that?”

Willie shook his head. “I’ll explain another time. Just let me do this for now.”

Confusion rippled through Alex’s mind, but he couldn’t deny it was nice to be cut off from all the thoughts and feelings around him. “Fine,” he said, leaning back.

Willie moved to holding Alex’s hand, and it surprised him, how willing he was to let it happen. The other boy’s hand fit so well in his, and was warm and comforting. He glanced sideways, his breath catching in his throat as the light drifting in from the windows hit Willie at just the right angle, illuminating him as he glanced back at Alex, a light smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

“What are you thinking about?” Willie asked, raising his eyebrows for a moment.

“Hm?” Alex asked, every intelligent thought suddenly leaving his head. “I, uh…”

“It’s okay.” Willie’s lips quirked. “You don’t have to tell me.”

“Did they tell you who he was?” Alex asked suddenly.

“Your friend?”

“Yeah, him.”

“Luke said he was like a brother to you guys.”

Alex blinked, the lump in his throat returning. “Something like that, yeah.”

“I’m really sorry for your loss,” Willie said tentatively. “If there was anything I could do…”

“Go back in time and stop the damn Guardians from ever being built?” Alex suggested. He was only half-joking. Truthfully, if he ever found a mutant who could go back in time, he would give anything to go to that moment and do something, anything to save Bobby.

“I don’t have that power,” Willie replied, tilting his head to the side. A curious expression passed over his face and he swallowed. “But I might know someone who could help. He can’t go back in time either, but he’s been pushing back against the government for a while now. You might not be able to get your friend back, but you could join his cause and maybe… avenge him?”

“You mean, get revenge?” He couldn’t deny that the idea was attractive to him. After all, the government had stolen Bobby from him. Had rendered Alex nearly comatose for nearly a week while his remaining friends had nearly ripped themselves apart. Had created the world in which they lived, where mutants were so poorly treated.

He hated it.

“Something like that. He’s organizing a hit on a shipment of parts for the next upgrade to the Guardians.” Willie rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand.

For a moment, Alex considered it. It scared him, how willing he was to do it. Now that he thought about it, he really was angry at the Guardians and the mind behind them. Trevor Wilson. The inventor turned senator who had ruined everything. Red hot flashes of anger struck through him, and he drew in a sharp breath. Revenge seemed like a good idea; it was something tangible he could do. Something that could distract him from the pain he was feeling.

“Alex, you should know, though--”

“I’ll do it.” Alex pulled his hand away from Willie, his mind immediately swelling with emotions. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to hold them at bay, and when he opened them again, Willie was offering him a small smile.

“Tomorrow, meet me at the park where we talked last time around noon,” he said, clasping his hands in front of him. “But only if you’re feeling up to it.” Alex nodded, and Willie rose to his feet. “It was really good to see you again, Alex. I’ve thought about you a lot over the past two weeks.”

He couldn’t help but flush, staring down at his lap. “Maybe eventually we’ll have time to have an actual conversation,” he said, rubbing his nose.

Willie chuckled. “I hope so. See you tomorrow.”

When Alex lifted his head, Willie was gone, out the window and down the fire escape.

He was asleep before Reggie and Luke returned to the loft.

Just as he expected, his friends weren’t happy about him wanting to go for a walk the next day.

“Are you sure?” Reggie asked, his face pale. “You’re still getting your strength back.”

Alex nibbled on a cracker, avoiding Luke’s loaded stare. “I’m going to meet Willie. I’ll be fine.”

“Willie?” Reggie’s face was twisted in confusion.

“The guy who was with us that day,” Luke said, uncrossing his arms. “He helped us get Alex home. Are you sure about this?”

“I am,” Alex replied, finally meeting Luke’s stare. “I’ll be fine. Promise.”

Reggie took a half step towards him, his hands glowing red. “Just be careful? Please?”

“I promise I will,” he answered, turning to the window and putting in his earbuds.

The sun was high in the sky and was beating down on him when he finally reached the park, finding the fountain and bench with ease. Alex didn’t stop to think about how he had remembered it so vividly, instead letting his gaze fall on the boy sitting on the bench in front of him.

“You came,” Willie said, rising to his feet. His hair was pulled up into a bun at the nape of his neck and he was wearing a hoodie. His thoughts were all over the place, and, Alex noted with curiosity, he was nervous.

“The Guardians took Bobby from us,” Alex said, steeling his nerves. “I want to make sure they can’t rip apart another family.”

Willie gave a small nod, his hands balling in the fabric of his too-long sleeves. “Alright, follow me.”

Alex tried to stay out of Willie’s thoughts as they walked, he really did. He didn’t succeed, though.

~This is a bad idea,~ Willie kept repeating, his normal sunshine signature clouded over.

Well that didn’t bode well.

Alex still followed him, giving the Guardians they spotted a wide berth, until they reached an old, dilapidated building.

“So, who is this guy, anyway?” Alex asked, curiosity getting the better of him.

“Caleb Covington,” Willie replied, pushing the door open. “One of the most powerful mutants I’ve ever met. If anyone can put a stop to the Guardian program, it’s him.”

Alex nodded, following Willie inside. If Caleb Covington could help him, he didn’t care what he had to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Masterlist of confirmed mutant powers thus far:  
> Alex - Empath/Telepath  
> Reggie - Controls fire  
> Bobby - Teleportation  
> Luke - Sound manipulation


	3. It’s Not a Curse, It’s a Gift

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for a depiction of a panic attack near the end of this chapter

Alex glanced around as he followed Willie into the building. So far, there wasn’t much to see. The building was just as run-down on the inside as it had been on the outside, with uneven flooring and stains on the walls where there weren’t holes. It was unnerving, and Alex found himself taking a half step closer to Willie, whose own nerves were running rampant. The other boy was shielding his thoughts somehow, though, and that didn’t do much to comfort Alex.

“Hey, Alex?”

He hummed as he twisted his hands together. “Yeah?”

“Do your friends know you’re here?”

Well, that was a strange question if he ever heard one. “Not here exactly, but they know I went to meet you,” he replied, shrugging. “Why?”

“No reason,” Willie replied, a little too quickly. There was a dark cloud hanging over him, and Alex tried once again to listen to his thoughts. Still nothing.

Why was Willie being so careful? What was he hiding?

He was led further down the hallway, until Willie stopped in front of a nondescript door.

“You sure about this?” Willie asked. It was only because Alex had spent years being overly observant that he caught the slight waver in the other boy’s voice. “No turning back after we go through this door.”

“I’m sure,” Alex replied, feeling less sure than he had ever felt in his life. There was a small part of him that was screaming that he should have stayed home, that he wasn’t ready. He clenched his fist, feeling his nails digging into his palms, leaving little crescent moon marks, trying to remind himself that he was doing this for a reason. That this was about making a stand, like Bobby.

Because that was what he had thought about all morning. Luke had said Bobby would have wanted them to move forward with their lives, but Alex knew that the Bobby he had known would have wanted them to stand up and fight, to show the people in power that they couldn’t be knocked back, that they were there to stay.

And besides, it would be a good distraction from the pain. While he was up and walking around, the pain of losing Bobby was still there, and he was already starting to feel weariness creeping on the edge of his consciousness. He had to do this, though. For Bobby.

Willie was looking at him, his expression inquisitive. It was dark, but Alex could just make out the way Willie’s eyes flicked from side to side, the way his lips were parted just enough. He almost wished they had met under different circumstances and had gotten more time to get to know each other, to talk about something other than how awful the government was. Willie seemed like a decent guy, someone he would enjoy talking to, and Alex hoped they would get a chance to talk after whatever it was they were going to do with this Caleb Covington he was about to meet.

“I’m sure,” he asserted, letting out a breath.

His companion nodded, pulling the door open. “Follow me.” As they passed under the threshold, Alex felt a strange sensation pass over him, like he was walking through static. On the other side, he was suddenly struck with the thoughts and feelings of people he hadn’t even realized were there. He drew in a sharp breath, his fingertips going to his temples, leaning against the wall for a moment.

“That’s the shield,” Willie explained, his expression guarded. “It keeps people from finding this place unless they already know it’s here. If you had come here alone, you wouldn’t have seen a door.”

“Caleb?” Alex asked, mulling it over in his mind. It made sense, to an extent. From what Willie had told him so far, this was the sort of group who would want to stay hidden.

“No,” Willie replied, a forced smile on his face. “That’s someone else. Caleb likes to recruit stronger mutants to help the cause.”

“Are you one?” At Willie’s confused expression, Alex clarified. “One of the recruits. One of the strong mutants.”

“Nah,” Willie replied, shrugging. “I’ve been around since before he really started this whole thing.”

A thought occurred to him. “Am I a recruit?”

That time, Willie wasn’t as quick to answer, and Alex didn’t miss the way his eyes flicked to the side for the briefest moment before he spoke.

“Not exactly. I mean, I do recruit for Caleb, but I wasn’t like, trying to convince you to come work or anything.” He gave a forced grin. “I brought you here for you, not for him.”

Alex nodded slowly, chewing on the inside of his cheek. “Okay,” he said, glancing down the hall, beyond Willie. “Let’s do this.” He tried to put on a brave face, to hide the nerves, to pretend he was confident about the whole thing.

“Follow me,” Willie said, walking off in front of him. Alex followed, glancing around once again. They were in another corridor, this one angled downwards, and he got the sense that they were moving below ground level. It was still dark, the corridor only lit by ornate lanterns placed several feet apart at fixed intervals. From what he could see of the walls, they were in better shape than the ones outside the shield.

At the end of the corridor was another door, this one more ornate. Alex could nearly make out the thoughts he was hearing from beyond the door, and the emotions were generally uplifting. Clearly, whoever was on the other side, they were having a good time. Willie glanced back at Alex before rapping on the door in a strange pattern.

The door opened and Alex didn’t have time to even register the figure standing on the other side before Willie grabbed his hand, static filling his mind.

“Willie,” the man at the door said, a wide grin on his face. “Didn’t expect to see you back so soon.” His gaze fell on Alex, who was taking in as much as he could. Darker skin, buzz cut, facial hair. Sharp, angular features. White suit, black tie.

Alex’s throat went dry, wondering if all the mutants working for Caleb were attractive.

Willie squeezed his hand, nodding at the man. “Hey, Dante. Ah, Caleb’s expecting me. Us. I’m bringing him,” he pointed at Alex with his free hand, “to meet with him.”

Another man swept up, moving far quicker than any normal human being, slightly shorter than Dante with short, blond hair and wearing a pink suit. “Welcome back, Willie. Caleb’s waiting for you in his office,” he said, jutting his thumb over his shoulder. “You must be the one Willie was talking about last night,” he added, directing it at Alex. His eyes dropped to their joined hands as he stepped in closer to Dante. “Welcome to the Heaven’s Guardians Coalition of Mutants. I’m Fuego, and this is Dante.”

“I like to call it the _Hating the Government Corp_ ,” Willie whispered, leaning in so close to Alex that their heads touched. A jolt of _something_ passed through Alex and he nearly choked, passing it off as a cough.

“You know Caleb doesn’t like it when you call it that,” Dante said, watching them with interest. Self-conscious, Alex took a half step away, ever aware of Willie’s fingers still wrapped around his wrist.

Why wasn’t Willie letting him use his powers?

Then again, it was nice to not know everyone’s secrets before he had a chance to get to know them.

Willie’s expression was unreadable as he gave Dante a nod. “That’s why I don’t say it around him,” he replied.

“Doesn’t stop him from finding out,” Fuego chimed in, gesturing for Alex and Willie to come into the room proper. It was a large, open hall, the walls decorated with purple tapestries. Alex could count at least twenty other people milling about, and there was another door at the far end of the hall at the top of some stairs.

He had a bad feeling about that door. A bad feeling that settled low in his gut, twisting tumultuously, creating a perfect storm.

Beside him, Willie drew in a sharp breath.

Turning his attention back to the duo in front of him, Alex watched as Dante closed his eyes for a moment. Half a second later, Alex’s jaw dropped, his eyes growing wide. A second Dante slid out as if from behind the original man, walking away, down the hall, towards that far door.

“I’ve seen him split up to ten,” Willie commented, a small chuckle escaping him as he squeezed Alex’s hand.

“That’s his power?” Alex asked, internally cringing at how obvious his question was.

The original Dante, still in front of him, shrugged. “It’s a handy ability to have. Haven’t been able to go above ten yet, though, and the more clones I make, the less control I have.”

“It must suck to have a limit,” Fuego quipped, elbowing Dante.

Willie laughed for real that time. “Weren’t you just complaining the other day that you haven’t gotten any faster in the past month?”

Alex felt like he was watching a tennis match as the three men played off each other. Then again, he figured anyone watching him and his three friends would feel the same way.

His two friends, now, he supposed.

The thought lingered, casting a dark cloud over his thoughts, and he felt Willie’s grip tighten around his wrist. Why he was still letting the other boy hold him, Alex didn’t know. All he knew was that it was strangely comfortable.

“Dante’s double told Caleb we’re here, although he probably already knew,” Willie murmured, interrupting Alex’s thoughts. “Follow me.”

Alex noted how the others in the hall moved to the side and stared as he followed Willie down the hall. Even without his powers, he could tell the atmosphere in the room was tense. Was Caleb really that intimidating? Who was he, really? His own nerves were growing, and he was starting to feel sick to his stomach. The only saving grace was that Willie was still there.

They stopped in front of the door at the other end of the hall. There were two tables on the upper landing on either side of the door, he could see now, each lined with fancy gemstones and bearing an ornate goblet. When he turned to Willie to ask what to do next, the other boy was standing ramrod straight, his jaw clenched. Slowly, he uncurled his fingers from Alex’s wrist and dropped it, pulling his hand away and drawing it into his sleeve.

The thoughts and feelings hit him like a bus. Most of the people in the room were curious, but two were annoyed that Willie had brought someone new. Willie’s thoughts were still guarded, but there was another thick purple ribbon that was impossible to ignore. The purple swelled until it filled his mind, blocking out all the others, and Alex gritted his teeth, balling his hands into fists. It wasn’t like any storms he had felt before, though. This person was overly gleeful, almost sickeningly so, and it was already starting to give him a headache.

~Welcome to the Heaven’s Guardians Coalition,~ a voice inside his head said, a voice he didn’t recognize. Alex frowned. Usually, people had to catch his attention first with his name before they could speak directly to him through thoughts, so this was new. He didn’t have time to contemplate it much, though, before the lights flickered around them. Just as quickly, the gemstones on the tables started to rattle before all of them rose into the air, hovering in place. Through the purple ribbon, glimpses of sunshine poked through, and he welcomed the comfort from Willie with a small smile.

The purple grew bolder in his mind, and a tall figure phased through the door, floating a few feet off the ground, his arms spread wide. Alex leaned forward, taking him in. He wore a top hat and a royal purple suit with a cape, and as he floated down the steps, the gems followed him, circling around his outstretched hands. Finally, he came to a stop just in front of Alex and Willie, lowering to the ground with all the grace of a swan as the gems returned to their places on the two tables.

“Caleb Covington, at your service, the man said, tipping his hat to Alex. “You must be the one William here was telling me about last night.”

He could only stare blankly for a moment, still trying to process what he had seen. When he had thought to himself who the most powerful mutant Willie knew could be, he hadn’t considered this. Somehow, thought it made perfect sense.

Willie nudged his elbow, and Alex gulped. “Oh. Yeah, I’m—”

“Alex, yes.” Caleb’s lips turned upwards and he waved his hand. The goblets on the tables lifted into the air and floated towards them, stopping in front of Alex and Willie. Taking his cue from Willie, Alex took the goblet in front of him and sniffed at it.

~It’s not poisoned,~ Caleb spoke directly into Alex’s mind as the goblet lifted out of his hand and floated to Caleb’s instead. The older man reached out, taking the goblet and sipping at the liquid inside before releasing it, letting it float back to Alex.

“It’s tea,” Willie muttered, touching Alex’s hand for the briefest moment, allowing his head to clear. When they parted, though, Alex still couldn’t read Willie’s thoughts.

“Oh… okay.” Alex took the goblet, sipping at the warm liquid inside. It did little to quell his nerves, even though it was delicious, lightly spiced with a hint of fruitiness to it.

“William here says you’re interested in the cause,” Caleb said, an eyebrow arched. “That you have a very good reason to hate the mongrels in charge of our nation.”

Once again, he couldn’t form an immediate response, still taken aback by, well, everything. After a moment, Alex opened his mouth to speak. Before he could, though, he felt a presence in his mind, an enveloping pressure that loomed over him, blocking out every thought, every feeling from the people in the room behind him. He cringed, taking a half step back as the pressure increased. Tendrils of purple made their way through his thoughts, picking out pieces of information as they went. He didn’t notice when he dropped the goblet, hot tea spilling over his worn sneakers, nor when both hands went to the sides of his head. There was no stopping the assault on his mind.

“Alex?” he absently heard Willie say. There was movement beside him, but it stopped as quickly as it had begun.

He felt Caleb reach into the deepest crevices of his mind, drawing out deeply repressed memories.

\---

_He was six years old, playing with the newest line of mutant action figures, when his brother walked in, an easy smile on his face._

_“Hey, Alex,” his brother said, leaning against the doorframe. “Wanna see something cool?”_

_“Yeah!” Alex blurted out, scrambling to his feet and following his brother out to the backyard. Ricky’s girlfriend was there, leaning against the fence._

_“Go for it,” Ricky said, nodding at Evie._

_Evie arched an eyebrow, then closed her eyes for a moment. Her whole body seemed to ripple and when Alex blinked, she was gone and, in her place, stood a taller woman, brunette instead of blonde._

_“Woah!” Alex breathed, glancing between Ricky and the woman. “Is that Evie?”_

_Ricky laughed. “Yeah, it is. She’s a shapeshifter,” he explained, as Evie morphed back to her original form._

_“Your brother said I just had to show you,” Evie explained, grinning down at Alex._

_“That was so cool…” Alex murmured, thinking about his own shapeshifting action figure._

_\---_

_He was eight years old, and his parents were seeing Ricky off to college._

_“Just remember that not everyone—”_

_“I know, Mom. It’s all you’ve been thinking about since we started packing up the truck,” Ricky interrupted, running his fingers through his hair._

_Alex stood off to the side, watching the conversation like he was watching one of Ricky’s tennis matches._

_“Richard, we’ve talked about this,” his father said, stepping forward. “Stay out of our heads. It’s impolite.”_

_“It’s not my fault your thoughts are loud,” Ricky complained, rolling his eyes. “And besides, what’s the point of being a telepath if I can’t use my abilities?”_

_“All we want is for you to be careful, okay?” his mother said, pulling Ricky into a hug. “Can you promise that?”_

_Ricky shrugged. “I guess,” he said, glancing over at Alex. “Take care of yourself, bud.”_

_“I will,” Alex promised, running and hugging Ricky. “Ricky, do you think I’ll be a mutant like you?”_

_His brother paused, glancing over at their parents, then crouched down. “I wouldn’t be surprised. Just remember, it’s not a curse. It’s a gift.”_

_Alex nodded, and Ricky mussed up his hair before climbing into his truck and driving off._

_\---_

_He was ten years old, watching the television at school. It was rare that they stopped class to watch tv, but apparently this was important. The mutant protests had gotten worse, and they were at the Capitol, demanding mutant rights._

_\---_

Alex flinched, drawing back, nearly tripping over his own feet. ~Not that memory. Please, not that one,~ he thought desperately. He didn’t want to relive that moment, nor any that followed. His panic levels rose as Caleb probed deeper, his legs turning to jelly. “Please, no,” he cried out loud, dropping to his knees.

Mercifully, when he probed just deep enough to find out what the memory was about, Caleb retreated, carrying on, the purple ribbon taking on more of a stormy pattern as he continued. He dug up more memories, each focusing on Alex’s relationship to his mutant abilities. He had to relive running away from his parents, meeting the boys, and finally Caleb reached that fateful day, two weeks ago.

Alex was sitting on the floor, his head down, his fingers pressed against his temples, when he felt the purple tendril latch onto the memory of Bobby slipping out of the restaurant.

“No!” he shouted, throwing up a mental wall without even thinking about it. He felt Caleb falter, felt him take a step back in confusion, then felt him press against Alex’s wall.

~Don’t fight it,~ Caleb thought, his voice low and cutting in Alex’s mind.

He didn’t relent, pushing back, desperate to keep Caleb from making him relive the moment. Finally, the older man’s presence grew faint as he left Alex’s mind.

“Interesting,” Caleb said, turning away. Instantly, Willie was down at Alex’s side, his fingers wrapped around his wrist, and Alex was able to relax for the briefest of moments, his breathing unsteady. He was still hunched over, though, and as he became more aware, he realized his cheeks were wet and his head was pounding.

“You didn’t have to do that right away,” Willie said, his voice defiant. He grew tense beside Alex, and after a moment, his grip on his wrist loosened.

“I’m convinced he’ll be devoted to the cause,” Caleb said coolly, walking back to the door. “When he’s ready, bring him in and we’ll discuss tonight’s mission.” With that, he phased through the door, disappearing behind it.

The hall was silent for a moment, then someone coughed. Someone else started talking, and the room was soon bustling as it had been when they had first arrived. Willie was still crouched down on the floor beside him, and Alex slowly lifted his head, making eye contact with the other boy.

“I am so sorry,” Willie blurted, swallowing hard, his Adam’s Apple bobbing. “He normally… I don’t know why he did that. Are you… are you okay?”

Alex rubbed his temples. “I… I don’t know…” he muttered. “I think I’ll be fine,” he said after a long, pregnant pause. “As long as he doesn’t do… that… again.”

Willie was silent, his eyes flicking every which way while Alex tried to get his breathing to steady. A pang went through him as he remembered who had once taught him his deep breathing exercises.

Finally, he slowly pushing himself to his feet. Willie rose at the same time as him, watching him carefully. “So that was Caleb?”

“Yeah,” Willie said, wrapping his arms around himself. “I swear he’s cooler when you get to know him. He looked a bit freaked out at the end, though… that wasn’t normal. Whatever you did, it rattled him.”

Alex let out a breath, mirroring Willie’s pose subconsciously. “Is that a bad thing?”

“There isn’t much that rattles Caleb Covington,” Willie replied. “He usually knows everything.”

“He was going through my memories,” Alex said slowly, haltingly. “And he found the day we met.” He paused, letting it sink in. Letting Willie figure out what he wasn’t saying.

Willie bit his lip. “I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have…”

“It’s fine,” Alex interrupted, glancing around the room. While most of the people (mutants, he supposed) looked like they were busy, Willie wasn’t touching him and he could tell they were all focused on the two of them. “I agreed to come here.”

“I should have told you what to expect. I seriously thought he was just gonna like, ask you a couple of questions, maybe look at your thoughts and make sure you weren’t going to like, go give us up or something. He normally waits to… well, he doesn’t do that, and…” Willie’s face was wan, his voice wobbly.

“Willie,” Alex started, holding his hand over his forehead. “I’m not upset at you.”

His companion’s expression softened. “You aren’t?”

“No.” He drew in a breath. “It wasn’t your fault. You weren’t the one digging through my thoughts and memories.”

“He’s one of the strongest telepaths and telekinetics in the world,” Willie said, his eyes turning downcast. “No one really knows where he came from.” He looked like he was about to say something else, but as before, Willie went rigid, his jaw locked.

It was different, though. This time, Alex could hear his thoughts, since Willie had forgotten to put up a wall in his mind. While it was one-sided, he could gather enough information to know Caleb was talking to him in his thoughts, and he was _angry_. While he couldn’t hear what Caleb was saying, Willie’s responses were meek and apologetic.

“H-hey, Willie?” Alex asked, dread dripping off him.

The other boy relaxed, turning back to him. “Sorry about that,” he said, shaking his head. “Caleb, er… he wants to know if you’re going to join us for the mission tonight. He’s waiting.”

That wasn’t what Alex had gathered from Willie’s half of the exchange. His eyebrows arched, but before he had a moment to say anything, Caleb was in his mind.

~Alex, I hope you won’t take my digging too personally. It isn’t often we have someone who comes to us without knowing the full extent of our cause,~ Caleb said, his voice silky smooth.

When Alex tried to push back against him, he realized that Caleb had put up a mental wall preventing him from pushing too far.

Caleb’s chuckle echoed through his mind. ~You may be a telepath like myself, but there’s a lot you need to learn. I do hope you’ll choose to stay and help us, and perhaps I’ll be able to help you grow your powers.~

~You have a funny way of trying to convince people,~ Alex thought back. ~I’m not too sure I’m really interested in sticking around.~

The purple ribbon edged into his thoughts, and, unbidden, a memory rose to the surface of Alex, Luke, Reggie, and Bobby all enjoying a meal together. It had been one of the rare times that they (Reggie) had managed to sweet talk a small restaurant (not the one Bobby had worked at) to give them some leftover food for free, and they had taken advantage of it, treating it like a feast. Alex didn’t notice tears springing to the corners of his eyes as he thought back to the moment, almost hearing the joyous laughter. They had been happy, once, despite their living situation.

~Trevor Wilson and his Guardians took everything from you when they shot your friend,~ Caleb said, his voice overlapping the memory. The memory shifted, and Alex was lying on the mattress again, staring at the wall. ~Don’t join for me. Join for you.~

It was if all his doubts slipped away at once. Alex nodded his agreement. Trevor Wilson was the reason for everything, for all his anger and pain. Him and the system he represented. 

Caleb retreated from his mind and he glanced sideways at Willie. His new friend was watching him carefully, his expression drawn.

“Well?” Willie asked.

“He may be a creep, but he’s my best shot at avenging Bobby,” he said, shrugging.

Willie gave a nervous chuckle. “Like I said, he’s not actually that bad. Just a bit intense. He’s looked out for me, all these years, though,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck. “For that I’m grateful.”

He didn’t know how much he believed Willie, but at the back of his mind, Alex knew Caleb could help him. Despite the nerves coiling deep in his gut, he glanced up at the ornate door.

“Let’s go.”

Willie followed him up the steps but moved in front of him to open the door. There was a rush of air next to Alex as he stepped in, but he thought nothing of it. On the other side of the door was a smaller chamber with a circular table in the centre. Caleb was standing opposite them, his hands on the edge of the table. He had abandoned the cape and top hat, and had rolled up his sleeves, but had the same smirk on his face as he looked up at them.

“Alex, William, excellent. Fuego’s already here,” he said, gesturing to their left where the man was already standing, shifting his weight from side to side, “and we’re just waiting on Dante.”

The door opened behind them and Dante slipped in. “Everything’s all set outside,” he said, glancing sideways at Alex.

“Excellent,” Caleb said, motioning for everyone to gather around the table. “Our target tonight is a truck of parts for the next upgrade to the B Class Guardians, bound for Wilson Industries. Dante and Fuego, I want you to take lead on this one.” He fell silent, and Alex glanced around. Both other men were standing a little too straight and rigid, so he figured Caleb was speaking directly to their thoughts. All he could hear, though, was static. He peeked sideways, but Willie was standing with his arms crossed loosely in front of him, not touching Alex at all.

“Alex, since you’re new to this, I’d like you to lend your powers to William. I’m sure you’ve figured out by now that he can block your powers when he touches you?” He nodded, mimicking Willie’s posture. “What you may not realize,” Caleb continued, “is that he can borrow your powers too.”

It hit Alex like a hurricane. Willie could borrow his powers. Every time Willie touched him, he became a telepath and empath. Every time, while Alex had been experiencing the bliss of a completely quiet mind, Willie had been dealing with his reality. He thought of the night before, when Willie had grabbed his hand just as Reggie had started to cry on the roof, and then he thought of the day they had met.

Willie was like a statue beside him, adamantly not looking his way. ~I wanted to,~ he was thinking repeatedly, the sunshine not so bright but still there.

Caleb was speaking again, and Alex tried to focus on him. “You’re strong, Alex, but you’re green. I understand William already has practice with using your powers,” he said, tilting his head. “I’d like him to borrow them again, since he knows what to listen for. If you’re successful, next time you can take point.”

That time, it took a moment for the reality of Caleb’s orders to settle in. When it did, though, Alex nearly choked on air. He would have to stand somewhere, holding Willie’s hand for an indeterminate length of time. Feeling Caleb’s purple ribbon perk up in interest, he tried desperately to think about anything other than the real reason he was feeling flustered about the idea. Alex peeked sideways at Willie, who was still not look at him, then over at Fuego who had his chin down, hiding a chuckle. The emotions in the room were varied; Willie was embarrassed, Fuego was mirthful. Caleb was eerily nonchalant about the entire thing, while Dante was mildly annoyed.

“Alright,” Willie said finally, breaking the silence. “What’s the plan of attack?”

Caleb went on to explain the plan in detail, and soon, Alex was trailing behind Willie, who was following Dante and Fuego (who had both changed into more casual clothing) back up the dark corridor and through the door. As they passed through the shield, Alex felt like a blanket was dropped over him as the feelings of the other mutants in the hall disappeared. He could still feel Caleb’s influence at the back of his mind, though, a light purple tint to remind him that what he was doing was extremely dangerous.

That thought had him pause. It was _dangerous_ , what he was doing. After he and his friends had lost Bobby, he was going on a dangerous mission for a dangerous rebellion leader who had dug through his thoughts as though they were sand, picking up the shells of memories.

Reggie would be devastated if anything happened to him. Luke would tip over the edge and go fully rogue. Alex didn’t want to imagine what might happen to them if he was killed too. His chest started to feel tight, and he leaned against the wall, his breathing coming in short bursts.

“Alex?” He heard Willie’s voice, but it sounded like it was far away and fuzzy. What sounded closer, though, were the countless people out in the city. Their thoughts were clear as mud to him, overlapping each other and blowing up into a cacophony of sound, and the emotions were all over the map. His head felt like it was going to explode, and his ribs were constricting his lungs and his legs felt like jelly.

“I can’t…” he choked out, sliding down the wall. “It’s too… too loud…”

Dante said something, or maybe it was Fuego. He couldn’t be certain. Alex’s panic levels were rising as he leaned against the wall, flashes of his friends dashing through his thoughts during the fleeting moments of silence from the thoughts and feelings invading his mind.

He felt something warm envelope his hand and suddenly all he had was his own thoughts, his own anxiety rushing through him.

“Alex, try to take a deep breath for me,” Willie said, squeezing his hand. “It’s just you and me.”

Without the invading thought and feelings, it was marginally easier to focus on Willie’s voice. Alex gasped a breath, screwing his eyes shut, and Willie squeezed his hand.

“There you go, that’s good,” he murmured. Willie shifted, crouching down in front of Alex. “What do you need? I’m here, whatever you need.”

It took him a moment to reply. “Breathe,” he muttered, reaching blindly for Willie’s knee.

“Okay,” Willie replied, taking Alex’s hand and putting it on his chest, over his hoodie. “Try to follow my breathing, hm?” He drew in a deep breath and Alex felt his chest rise under his hand. He tried, he really tried to match Willie’s breathing. For a minute, Willie was the only thing he could focus on, and when his own breathing finally evened out and he cracked an eye open, the other boy was watching him with wide, dark brown eyes.

“Thanks,” Alex said quietly, finding it hard to drag his eyes away. He had noticed it before, back when they had first met, but Willie really was gorgeous. Pieces of hair had escaped the bun at the nape of his neck and were framing his face, and his brows were furrowed as he looked back at Alex.

Willie swallowed, his eyes searching Alex’s. “You good?”

“I… I will be,” Alex replied, taking a mental stock. The panic had receded, but he was still tense, his nerves still coiled tightly. “I just—”

“You don’t have to explain,” Willie said, glancing sideways. Alex followed his gaze, noticing Dante and Fuego standing a short distance away, their bodies angled away from the pair on the floor.

Right. Willie was still touching him, which meant he could read Alex’s mind. He flushed as he realized just what he had been thinking about.

“It’s alright, Alex. It doesn’t bother me.”

Dante approached them, arching an eyebrow. “Are you going to be fine to go on the mission?” he asked, as blunt as ever in the short time that Alex had known him.

Willie glanced up at him, narrowing his eyes. “Cut him some slack, man.”

They fell silent, staring at each other, and Alex got the impression they were talking through thoughts.

Was this how his friends felt when he was having a thought conversation with one of them? It was weird.

Dante scoffed, turning on his heels and walking back over to Fuego, who had been watching the exchange with an expression Alex was sure mirrored his own.

He wondered what the deal was with Dante. Fuego seemed fine with him, but Dante’s disdain clearly went deep.

“You know, you don’t have to do this today,” Willie said, capturing Alex’s attention almost immediately. “You can go home. Be with your friends.”

“No,” he said, shaking his head. “I need to. If I don’t do this today, I don’t think I ever will.”

Willie was watching him with thoughtful eyes, but eventually, he nodded. “Then let’s go.” He tugged Alex to his feet, winking at him before dropping his hand and turning on his heels, bounding off to join Dante and Fuego.

As he stood there, trying to keep his head clear, it suddenly hit him.

Willie had winked at him.

Alex’s breath caught in his throat at the thought.

After a moment, he finally pushed off the wall and continued following the trio up and out of the building, into the dreary rain blanketing the city.

There was a car there, and they filed into it, Dante behind the wheel.

“One of these days, I want to drive,” Willie said, clamouring into the back seat and grinning across at Alex, sitting beside him.

“You never got your license,” Dante said, glancing in the rear-view mirror.

Willie shrugged. “There’s worse things to get arrested for.”

Fuego snorted, and even Dante’s lips quirked in the mirror as Willie laughed, sunshine cutting through the grey in Alex’s mind.

The drive wasn’t long. Soon, they were stopping in an old industrial area, tucked away beside a warehouse. Willie was the first out of the car with Alex close behind him.

“I’ll scope out the area,” Fuego said before zipping off.

“What should I do?” Alex asked.

“Sit and wait,” Dante replied before Willie had a chance to speak. He closed his eyes and two doubles appeared. “I’m going to get in position. I’ll be waiting for your mark,” he added, nodding at Willie who gave a terse nod in return. When all three Dantes had disappeared around the corner, Willie turned back to Alex.

“Ready for the most boring afternoon of your life?” he asked teasingly. “Being the lookout is never fun.”

“At least it’ll be a quiet afternoon,” Alex joked, reality settling in. “Where should we set up?”

“Honestly, I was thinking back in the car. It’ll be a bit more comfortable, at least.” Willie jutted his thumb over his shoulder, arching an eyebrow. “Hm? Whadya say?”

Alex gave what he hoped was an easy-going chuckle. “Sounds like a plan.”

“I call the driver’s side!” Willie chirped, dashing back towards the car. Alex followed, chuckling as he climbed in the passenger side door. Even though he was nervous about the next several hours, it was so easy to smile around Willie. He truly lived up to the sunshine he emanated.

When Willie climbed in beside Alex, he reached up behind his neck and undid the bun, letting his hair tumble down over his shoulders. He gave a shake of his head, letting the hair settle, and Alex couldn’t drag his eyes away.

“What?” Willie asked, and Alex startled, turning away and clearing his throat.

“I, er…”

“Are you feeling better now?”

That was a non-sequitur. He paused, having to think about it for a moment.

“Better, yeah. Not great.” There was something about Willie that compelled him to tell the truth, so he did just that. “I’ve always been a little anxious, y’know? And then everything went to hell ten years ago, and then I met the guys and they were the best part of my life for four years.” He was probably oversharing, but Willie wasn’t showing any signs of discomfort. In fact, he was leaning in, focusing completely on Alex. “That’s why this is so important,” he added, shrugging. “I need to avenge Bobby. He was family, and I…” he trailed off, his head hanging.

Willie was quiet for a moment, then he reached out and tentatively put his hand on Alex’s shoulder, over his jacket. Nothing happened, and Alex figured Willie’s power only worked skin-to-skin. The hand on his shoulder felt nice, though; it was comfortable and soothing.

“I’m so sorry about your friend,” Willie breathed, meeting Alex’s gaze. “I can’t imagine going through what you’re going through right now. You’re probably one of the strongest people I know.”

Alex flushed at that, stammering for a moment before turning and staring out the window. Willie’s sunshine faltered for a brief moment, then returned.

“I wonder what Dante would say if I drove the car a bit and parked in a different spot,” he quipped, smirking at Alex’s reflection.

He had to laugh at that. Any tension that had been in the car dissipated and Alex turned, leaning back against the headrest.

“You know him better, but he’d probably stare at us with that disappointed look on his face.”

Willie snorted, glancing down. His face fell. “Darn. He took the key.”

“Well we know how must he trusts us now,” Alex said, meaning for it to be lighthearted.

“He’s a good guy,” Willie said, shrugging. “He’s been through some stuff, though.”

“I get that.” Alex let out a sigh, and the car grew silent once again for a few moments until he coughed. “Should we, ah, get started?” He held his hand up, trying to pre-emptively hide his nerves before Willie could sense them.

“I’m ready if you are,” Willie replied, reaching over and intertwining his fingers with Alex’s. He was used to the blanket falling over his mind by this point and leaned back, making himself comfortable.

“Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help.”

Willie hesitated just long enough for Alex to notice he was uncomfortable, even without having the power to read his mind. “Talk to me? I don’t know how you do it. There’s so many voices and so much emotion.”

“I don’t know how you’re not sitting with your head between your legs right now,” Alex replied, glancing sideways at him. “I live with this all the time and I’d give anything to be able to turn it off on cue.”

“Too much practice with borrowing other mutants’ powers,” Willie explained. “You get used to just shutting yourself out to any of the bad stuff. This is the first time Caleb’s actually sent me out on a mission, though. Usually I just recruit, since I can pretty much figure out who’s a mutant by touching them and seeing if I feel different.”

Alex nodded, humming. “You’re out here because he doesn’t trust me yet.”

“He trusts you.” Willie squeezed his hand. “He wouldn’t have sent you if he didn’t.”

The thought unnerved Alex, and he watched as Willie’s face fell.

“Do you see the emotions as colours?” Alex asked, suddenly, trying to change the subject.

Willie squinted. “Kind of. It’s like ribbons, or something like that.”

“Yeah, that’s it. Most people have a certain colour attached to them. Like Luke is blue, and Reggie is red.”

“And me?” Willie was looking at him inquisitively and Alex had to fight his resolve to answer.

“You’re yellow, like sunshine.”

“Do you want to know what colour you are?”

Alex frowned. He hadn’t ever thought of that, but it made sense. If everyone else had a colour, he probably had one too. After all, he couldn’t be the only empath in the world.

Willie noticed his hesitation and backpedaled. “I mean, if you don’t want to know, that’s fi—”

“Tell me,” Alex interrupted, offering a small smile. “I want to know.”

Relieved, Willie glanced down at their joined hands, resting on the emergency brake. “You’re pink. A light pink. It’s a really nice, comforting colour.”

Alex thought about it for a moment. He didn’t feel like that suited him, but then again, Bobby had never struck him as orange, and Reggie wasn’t angry and outspoken like the colour red. Maybe the colours meant nothing. Or maybe they meant everything. He didn’t know.

“You’re thinking about it too hard,” Willie said, grinning. “Pink suits you.”

Well, when he put it that way.

Alex let out a puff of air through his nose. “Okay.”

They fell into easy conversation after that, talking about old tv shows they had watched when they had been younger, and the music Alex liked to listen to.

“Wait,” Willie said after an hour, leaning forward, his free hand on the wheel. “They’re on to something.” He closed his eyes, his brows furrowed. All Alex could do was sit beside him, squeezing his hand.

A few moments later, Willie cracked one eye open, peeking sideways. “The truck. It’s on its way. I need to listen out for the driver. What do you do when you need to find specific people?”

Alex hesitated. “I, uh… usually I have to be close to them, or they have to think my name. I haven’t tried anything like this before.”

“What about the Guardians? Is there any way you can find them? There’ll be some guarding the truck.”

“Actually,” Alex started, biting his lip, “Guardians don’t have thoughts or feelings, so there’s a void where they are.” He sat up straight. “Look for the void, and you’ll find the truck.”

“Awesome,” Willie replied, closing his eyes again and concentrating. After a moment, he smirked, his eyes still closed. “Booyah!”

“Found them?”

“Found them. Just gotta let the guys know, and we’re golden.”

Alex grinned as Willie focused once again, glancing out the window. He wondered what it would be like to do this himself. To be the lookout. Then he wondered what it would be like to be in Dante or Fuego’s shoes, doing… whatever it was that they were supposed to be doing.

“Dude, you’re thinking too loudly,” Willie said, cracking an eye open.

Alex immediately put up a mental wall. “Sorry.”

“It’s cool. The hard part’s over, now. I just have to keep an eye out now.” Willie grinned, reclining his chair back. “You should relax. You’ve had a long week.”

“I’ll relax later,” Alex said, although he reclined his chair too. He told himself it was because the angle was weird, holding Willie’s hand. From the knowing look on his friend’s face, though, Alex knew his thoughts weren’t convincing.

They were quiet for another twenty minutes. Alex felt like he was holding his breath, waiting for something to happen.

And then something happened.

There was a loud explosion nearby, and Alex flinched, memories flooding back in. Memories of watching the television and seeing the bombs detonate. Memories of his brother ruffling his hair one last time before leaving.

“Alex!” Willie said, his voice raised. “You’re safe. It’s nowhere near us, and no one’s dying.”

He reluctantly glanced over at Willie, embarrassment flooding his thoughts now that the initial shock was over. “Sorry.”

“You don’t have to apologize. That was just Dante and Fuego. The truck hit their trap. They just told me, now, and they’re on their way back. We got them. Wilson Industries isn’t getting their parts.”

It took Alex a moment to unwind, closing the fist of his free hand around the fabric of his hoodie. “Just like that?”

“Just like that! It was so much easier, they said, being able to talk to me and find out how long they had to set the trap,” Willie gushed, his eyebrows waggling. “Your powers are gonna be great for the team.”

Alex flushed again, the back of his neck growing warm. “Glad to help,” he said, biting the inside of his cheek. “So, what now?”

“Now, we head back to the HGC and let Caleb know it was a success,” Willie said, grinning widely. Alex couldn’t help but grin in return.

“Sounds like a plan. Do you still need my… hand?”

“Until they get back, yeah.” Willie squeezed his hand. “Your skin is warm. It’s nice.”

Alex nearly choked once again at that. “I… thank you…?”

Willie laughed. “Yeah, man. It’s a compliment.”

While they waited for the other men to return, it was back to conversation. This time, they talked more about music and their favourite songs.

They almost missed the light tapping on the driver’s side window. Finally, Alex noticed a girl standing there, her arms crossed in front of her, her eyebrow raised.

“Uh, Willie?”

“Hm?”

“Window. Behind you.”

Willie turned, arching an eyebrow at the sight of the girl. He rolled down the window. “Can we help you?”

The girl shrugged, tossing strawberry blonde hair back over her shoulder. “I’m just wondering…” she reached behind her, pulling out a small handgun and aiming it at Willie. Alex froze, horror filling him to the brim as he stared, helpless to do anything. The girl tilted her head to the side. “Was it really necessary, blowing up my dad’s shipment?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Credit for the name(s) for the HGC go to Val and Del from the CGC discord!
> 
>  **Masterlist of confirmed mutant powers thus far:**  
>  Alex - Empath/Telepath  
> Reggie - Controls fire  
> Bobby - Teleportation  
> Luke - Sound manipulation
> 
> Dante - Can create doubles of himself  
> Fuego - Super speed  
> Willie - Can block and temporarily borrow powers through touch  
> Caleb - Telepath/Telekinetic
> 
> Check out [these amazing moodboards](https://thegirlfulloffandoms.tumblr.com/post/644220240644947968/created-these-inspired-by-reggieshamster-s-jatp) by Jess aka thegirlfulloffandoms on tumblr!

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Comments and kudos make my day :)
> 
> Check out my [tumblr](https://reggieshamster.tumblr.com/)!


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